EXCLUSIVE: First Minister of Wales on "worrying" rise of school knife crime
In an exclusive interview, Eluned Morgan says learners need to have more respect for teachers after cases of knife crime in schools
Last updated 7th Feb 2025
In an exclusive interview, Eluned Morgan says learners need to have more respect for teachers after cases of knife crime in schools
This comes after a teenager was convicted of attempted murder after stabbing two teachers and a fellow pupil at a school in Ammanford.
Baroness Morgan told us:
"I think it's really important we get a perspective on this.
"This is very, very rare what we saw in Ammanford, it's not something that's very common.
A South Wales Police investigation is also underway after reports of a knife in a student's bag at a school in Bridgend.
When asked on protecting teacher and pupil safety, Baroness Morgan says:
"It's really worrying that we're seeing an increase of children carrying knives to school.
"I think parents have a responsibility to step in and do what they should be doing.
"I understand why teachers are concerned".
South Wales Police have said that there has been a rise in knife crime in the last few years.
Superintendent Esyr Jones says:
“Levels of knife offences in the UK have risen over the last few years, and South Wales is no different to anywhere else in that respect.
“Thankfully, levels of those offences remain lower here than many other parts of the UK, and, generally, South Wales is a safe place to live, to work, and to be."
Elsewhere in the Senedd, politicians say there needs to be tighter restrictions to prevent children from bringing in knives to schools.
Adam Price is the MS for Carmarthenshire East, he says tighter and stricter knife reforms are needed.
"We need to look at the scale of the problem..
... so we can understand the challenge we're facing."
"We need to look around the world, around the rest of the UK that have been dealing with challenging behaviour for a longer period historically than is the case in Wales maybe."
Adam Price also says there needs to be further research into how teachers can deal with threatening behaviour from pupils.