Child attempted murder rise partly due to ‘SNP incompetence’, says Labour

The rise in children accused of attempted murder is partly due to the “incompetence” of the SNP Government running the criminal justice system, the Scottish Labour leader has said.

The number of children accused of attempted murder in Scotland has risen significantly according to new figures from a Scottish Police Authority report.

The report revealed there were 17 cases involving 20 children between April and June this year – a fifth of all attempted murders.

This compares to just five cases for the same period in 2024.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the current criminal justice system is a “mess” and multiple areas need to be looked at to curb the rising figures.

He said: “I think we have to look at what’s happening in our social media feeds. That’s why there are some stronger regulation of the social media giants.

“Secondly, we have to make our schools safe places to learn and safe places to teach. That’s why we’ve said we would ban mobile phones in the classroom.

“And third, we’ve got to get to grips with the mess that’s currently being presided over in our criminal justice system.”

Speaking to journalists in Glasgow on Tuesday, the Labour leader highlighted statistics that Police Scotland has 1,000 fewer police officers since the time of its creation.

He was also critical of the Scottish Government’s proposals to vote for a further early prisoner release scheme due to reported overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons.

Mr Sarwar said: “We’ve got 10,000 outstanding arrest warrants, including for rape and attempted murder and murder. That is not acceptable, but again, it points to SNP incompetence.

“We’ve got a billion pounds being spent on a prison that was supposed to cost £100 million – that £900 million pounds could have built over 40 health centres across our country.

“Because of the SNP’s incompetence running our criminal justice system, we’ve had hundreds of prisoners released early from prisons … It’s an absolute mess.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Any violent incident should be condemned. Whilst overall youth violence has been decreasing, that is of no comfort to victims, which is why we continue to tackle youth violence through education programmes, effective consequences for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people.

“The Scottish Government has made it crystal clear there is no reason to ever carry a weapon, including a knife, at any time.

“This is backed by an investment of more than £6 million since 2023 to implement the Violence Prevention Framework which includes action to address the carrying of weapons in and around schools.

“In addition, we are providing support and direction at a national level, including through the National Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan, which includes recently published guidance on consequences and on risk assessment for violent, aggressive and dangerous behaviour.

“Local authorities are expected to implement this guidance to meet particular needs at a local level.”