'Deeply disturbing': Children as young as 10 found with weapons

Stop and search data has revealed that police in Scotland discovered a 10-year-old child carrying a knife and a 14-year-old in possession of a gun.

Analysis revealed that between April and September last year, there were 123 cases of young people aged 10 to 17 being found with weapons, accounting for more than a quarter of all successful weapons searches by police during that period.

Opposition politicians condemned the figures as "deeply disturbing," accusing Scottish Government ministers of being "asleep at the wheel" while crime escalates across Scotland, putting more young people at risk of involvement in such offences.

They hit out after analysis by the policing and justice magazine, 1919, revealed that teenegerss and pre-teens had been found to be in possession of knives, drugs and other stolen items during police searches.

When incidents where drugs or stolen goods were discovered were included, there were 566 searches where under-18s were found to be in possession of illegal items.

The cases cited included a 10-year-old child in the east of Edinburgh who was found with a bladed weapon in July last year.

Several 12-year-olds across the country were searched and found to be carrying weapons and class B drugs, including a girl in Ayr in June.

And in east Fife, a 14-year-old was caught with a firearm when officers were called to an incident in September.

'Asleep at the wheel'

Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson, Liam Kerr, said: "SNP ministers have been asleep at the wheel while crime has spiralled out of control in Scotland, and more and more youngsters are at risk of getting caught up in such offences.

"They need to wake up to the gravity of this situation and ensure that our children are educated against falling into a life of crime and also provide police with the resources they need to keep communities safe."

'Deeply disturbing'

Scottish Labour community safety spokesperson Katy Clark told the magazine: "The fact that children still young enough to play with toys are walking around with potential murder weapons is deeply disturbing.

"Not only does it create a potentially volatile situation for policing, but it is a sign that children are being led down a path of crime before they have even reached their teens."

She continued: "The seeming increase of criminal behaviour is highly concerning.

"The SNP must support the police to work with schools, social workers and others supporting young people while also ensuring they have the resources to tackle the organised criminals who are bringing these weapons into our communities in the first place."

'Withdrawn'

Police Scotland said its officers work in line with a strict code of practice, especially when searching young people.

But David Threadgold, the chair of the Scottish Police Federation - which represents rank and file officers - said police having been "largely withdrawn" from schools could have reduced work to prevent youngsters from becoming involved in such practices.

Mr Threadgold stated: "Police officers who face members of the public in possession of knives or any other weapon are required to make immediate decisions to try to de-escalate those situations, and there are occasions where it is simply impossible to establish the age of the person involved.

"Officers are trained and understand that their actions must be justifiable and subject to the appropriate scrutiny."

He continued: "As police officers have largely withdrawn from school environments, the visibility of the police in our communities is less - and the police are seen in communities as merely a reactive force.

"Along with a reducing - if any - preventative element to policing, opportunities are being missed to develop the type of relationships and intelligence gathering that may form part of the solution to this."

'Wrong suggestion'

A Scottish Government spokesperson told 1919 magazine: "It is wrong to suggest that crime has spiralled out of control when recorded crime is down 40 per cent since 2006-07."

The spokesperson continued: "It is unacceptable that any child or young person is caught with weapons, drugs or stolen goods.

"Preventing children from going down a path where they are in conflict with the law and supporting them appropriately, constructively and effectively when they do, has been integral to our approach for over a decade.

"We have invested more than £4 million over the last two years to implement the actions set out in the Violence Prevention Framework.

"The Scottish Government initiative, CashBack for Communities, an early intervention/prevention programme that is funded by money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, has supported around 1.3 million young people across all 32 local authorities.

"Police Scotland and their council partners may increase patrols targeting those involved in disorder and criminality. Anyone with information should report this to them."

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