Scotland's justice secretary pledges £6m more to tackle youth violence after latest summit
Angela Constance announced the move following the latest emergency event at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh on Thursday.
Scotland's justice secretary has pledged an additional £6m to tackle youth violence after the latest summit.
Cabinet Secretary Angela Constance announced the move following the latest emergency event at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh. The cash will come next year as part of the Scottish Government's Cashback for Communities Fund.
It comes amid the Record's applauded Our Kids ... Our Future campaign which was launched two years ago in response to a youth violence epidemic. As part of the campaign, we have repeatedly demanded the Scottish Government to invest in young people, so they can be nurtured, mentored and guided in every community.
Speaking to the Record yesterday afternoon, Constance said: "I have increased investment in the Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence.
"Today, we reopened the cashback for communities fund which will be £26m over the next three years.
"That is about directly funding youth-related activities. Some of that work helps to keep young people out of the justice system and on the right side of the law."
The total amount of cash to go to kids between next year and 2029 will be £26 - an increase of £6m from the £20m announced as part of the fund in 2023.
Scotland has been rocked by three blade tragedies in less than 12 months.
Kory McCrimmon, 16, died after he was stabbed in Glasgow's Greenfield Park on May 31, 2024.
Amen Teklay, 15, died after he was found seriously injured on a street in the city's Maryhill on March 5 this year.
Just weeks later, 16-year-old Kory McCrimmon died in hospital following an incident at Irvine Beach in Ayrshire on May 17.
Three teenage boys aged 14, 15, and 16 have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen, an Eritrean refugee, while three male youths - a pair aged 17 and a 14-year-old - appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden.
And just last month, a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to five years detention after admitting culpable homicide following the death of Kory at the park in Glasgow's east end.
Constance went on to admit there is little she can say to comfort the parents of the boys involved in all three tragedies.
She said: "I know there is probably little I can say to comfort grieving families.
"I also know from my direct engagement with families of victims who have suffered a fatality that what they want more than anything, is to know that this won't happen to any other families.
"They also want to know that the risk of this happening to others is reduced.
"That's why we are so focused on prevention because that is the best and most effective way to prevent other families from facing this."
Jimmy Paul, head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, also attended the emergency summit.
He urged the Scottish Government to invest in youth work at all levels.
He said: "In Scotland, we know creating safe spaces is a big part of youth work but so is other forms of youth work such as having steet workers, having positive role models, having whole-family support and addressing their trauma.
"There is no silver bullet but we need to work on all of these things.
"My hope now is that after this summit, we see more funding in all of these things to prevent youth crime."
Dr Christine Goodall, founder of Medics Against Violence, added: "Youth work is important both within work and in education settings.
"After today's summit, we'd like to see this be made a priority.
"We know that not all young people have access to youth work and that youths often don't get access to a trusted adult.
"We'd like to see these things prioritised and more support for families."
Vicky Donald, whose then 12-year-old daughter Kaylynn was battered on a school bus on her way home from class in Ladybank, FIfe in October 2022, said the funding was a "drop in the ocean" for the Scottish Government.
The 38-year-old said: "It's is a drop in the ocean and won't stretch far enough. The entire £ 26 isn't spread evenly enough - particularly if you look into breaking cash down into local areas.
"The majority of this cash will go to densely populated areas. Some of the cash will even go to sport centres.
"This crisis needs a specific fund where cash goes directly to tackling youth violence.
epidemic is.
"What are they doing to make the streets safer? Nothing."
Angela Jarvis' daughter, Abbie, also aged 12 at the time of her attack, was left with PTSD following the brutal beating at a skatepark in Drumchapel just three after Kaylynn's assault.
The mum called on the Scottish Government to stretch its funding further to help kids affected by crime.
Angela, 44, said: "An additional £6m is welcomed but it isn't really enough to tackle this crisis and children who are affected by it.
"The funding should go wider than just youth work - kids are facing a mental health crisis caused by violence and its aftermath. There needs to be more money for that too."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Nigel Farage is a threat to the Union, warns Kemi Badenoch
The UK Tory leader hit out at Reform during a speech at the Scottish party conference in Edinburgh Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nigel Farage is a threat to the Union and his party will "let the SNP in", UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has warned. Mrs Badenoch told the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh that Mr Farage "would be fine with the SNP winning another five years in power". She said the Scottish people deserved better than the Nationalists. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hitting out at Reform – which claimed on Friday to now have 11,000 members in Scotland – she said the union between Scotland and England is 'just not that important' to Mr Farage's party. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch | PA "We know that when it really matters, like on gender or free speech or taxes, Labour will fold and vote with the SNP," she told party members. "And as for Reform, the Union is just not that important to them. "In April this year, Nigel Farage said he would be fine with the SNP winning another five years in power. "He's fine with another five years of higher bills, longer waiting lists, declining school standards, gender madness, and ultimately, independence. Reform will vote to let the SNP in, Conservatives will only ever vote to get the Nationalists out." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Farage previously told The Times he was 'not that worried about the SNP', adding: 'Yes, they're going to have a resurgence. Scotland is not going to leave the United Kingdom. It's not going to happen in a month of Sundays. We're not doing a deal with Labour.' Mrs Badenoch's speech came just over a week after a Holyrood by-election in which the Tories came fourth, well behind Reform in third. Meanwhile, an opinion poll has suggested Mr Farage's party could come second in next May's Holyrood election. The Tories have also suffered a string of defections, with more than a dozen councillors switching to Reform. Speaking to journalists, Mrs Badenoch said she was 'fine' with defections if they removed those who are not real Conservatives. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Reform are not a centre-right party,' she said. 'This is a party that is talking about nationalising oil and gas. This is a party that wants to increase benefits at a time when the benefits bill is so high. 'So if Nigel Farage is taking out of the Conservative Party the people who are not Conservatives, then I'm quite fine with that.' Asked if she considered Mr Farage an active threat to the Union, she said: "If he wants the SNP to have another five years, then that is a threat to the Union, so yes. 'He doesn't seem to care about the Union. We are the Conservative and Unionist Party. It's a fundamental belief, as I said in our speech." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Elsewhere, she revealed she keeps in touch with Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay via WhatsApp. 'It's like a joint support group,' joked Mr Findlay. Mrs Badenoch added: 'Your words, not mine.' In her first speech to a Scottish Tory conference as the UK leader, Mrs Badenoch said the SNP 'remains obsessed with breaking up our country' at the expense of issues such as education and health. She accused the Nationalists of wasting millions of pounds on 'independence propaganda' and failed ferry projects, while introducing new hate crime laws and pursuing controversial gender reforms. Mrs Badenoch added: 'So, we need to bring about their electoral defeat. Because the Scottish people deserve better.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said Mr Findlay 'stands out at Holyrood because he's not part of the cosy left-wing consensus of the SNP and Labour'. In her speech, Mrs Badenoch accepted the Tories in power at Westminster 'didn't always get things right'. But she insisted her election, coupled with Mr Findlay taking over the Scottish party last year, meant they are 'under new leadership'. Adding that she is 'renewing this party', she declared: 'This speech isn't about looking back. It's about the future. Our future.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Part of that 'positive vision of the future' includes 'standing up' for the North Sea oil and gas industry, she said. Mrs Badenoch claimed that by increasing the energy profits levy – also known as the windfall tax – Labour is 'killing the oil and gas industry'. She said: 'Frankly if it is allowed to remain in place until 2030, as is Labour's current plan, there will be no industry left to tax. 'Thousands will have been made unemployed and all the while we import more gas from overseas – from the very same basin in which we are banned from drilling.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She called on the UK Government to remove the energy profits levy, and said the Tories would also 'scrap the ban on new licences' for oil and gas developments. 'We will champion our own industry,' Mrs Badenoch told supporters. 'We will let this great British, great Scottish industry thrive, grow and create jobs – ensuring our energy security for generations to come and making Scotland richer in the process.' She also pledged the Tories will spend more on defence, saying this is crucial as 'our world becomes even more dangerous'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Citing conflict in the Middle East as well as in Ukraine, Mrs Badenoch said it 'becomes even harder to understand why Labour didn't use the spending review this week to set out a clear plan to get to 3 per cent on defence spending'. The Tories, she insisted, will 'stand by Scotland's defence industry to build the security equipment and systems that keep us safe'. Earlier, Mr Findlay told the BBC it would be a 'complete act of national self-harm' not to continue drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. He said Scotland should use its own oil, rather than relying on foreign imports.
The Herald Scotland
27 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bowie challenges Tories to ‘step up' against Miliband's ‘eco-zealotry'
Accusing the UK Government of 'overseeing the wilful deindustrialisation of this nation', Mr Bowie hit out at the 'frankly dangerous eco-zealotry of Ed Miliband', the Energy Secretary. Speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference at Murrayfield in Edinburgh Mr Bowie told his party: 'We must step up. Britain needs us more than ever.' The Tory insisted: 'The future of Scotland and Britain is at stake, our country's security depends on a strong Conservative Party to stand up for what is right.' He recalled how former US president Ronald Reagan had 'once said the first duty of government is to protect' – but added that 'on every front the SNP and Labour are failing to do that'. Attacking both Labour and the SNP, Mr Bowie, who is also his party's shadow Scottish secretary, said: 'They haven't protected everyone's economic security, by raising taxes, or ripping away their winter fuel payment, even if they are now apparently going to hand it back to them. 'They haven't protected our energy security by insisting on no new oil and gas developments.' The Conservative MP continued: 'We can all see what is happening in the world, there is more risk out there, we as a country are more vulnerable. 'That is why the decisions of this Labour Government are so gravely concerning. Their economic incompetence, coupled with their frightening ineptitude when it comes to our energy security is making the United Kingdom more vulnerable.' He attacked the Labour Government over its 'madcap drive to clean power by 2030', as he said ministers were 'actively accelerating the decline of our North Sea'. This, he said, was 'forcing us to become increasingly exposed to over-reliance on imports from overseas, imports that are shipped in diesel-chugging tankers across the Atlantic from America or from Norwegian wells'. The Tory said the opposition to new oil and gas developments meant 'investment is drying up, work is being put on pause, companies are literally shutting up shop and jobs are being lost'. But he added: 'This hostility for our oil and gas workers is not simply the preserve of the zealots in the Labour Party. 'The SNP have their fingerprints all over the job losses, the well closures.' Mr Bowie added: 'We need Conservative leadership because we know where the SNP and Labour will take us.' He also used his speech to attack the 'snake oil salesmen' in Reform UK, insisting that Nigel Farage's party do not 'care one jot for Scotland, or for our United Kingdom'. The Tory said: 'Let me be clear. Reform is quite simply not a conservative party, not a unionist party, frankly they are not a serious party.'
Scottish Sun
38 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Scots schools that previously offered only gender-neutral toilets to make major change
The majority of schools in Scotland offer both single-sex and gender-neutral toilets LOO RULES Scots schools that previously offered only gender-neutral toilets to make major change Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCHOOLS that previously offered only gender-neutral toilets are set to make a major change following a legal ruling. Around 18 schools in Scotland will reintroduce single-sex facilities in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in April that a woman is defined by biological sex. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Schools across Scotland will reintroduce single-sex facilities following April's Supreme Court ruling Credit: PA This then meant that guidance around toilets, changing rooms and other facilities had to be reviewed to exclude trans people where single-sex services are provided. Now, schools in Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Scottish Borders and Shetland will create separate bathrooms for boys and girls. It comes after the Scottish government said that local authorities have a statutory responsibility for the school estate, including the provision of toilets. The majority of schools in Scotland offer both single-sex and gender-neutral toilets. But data obtained by BBC Scotland News revealed that 52 schools across 11 council areas have only gender-neutral toilets. Ten of these are located in Shetland, which now plans to add separate provisions. Scottish Borders, Aberdeenshire and Argyll and Bute councils are also following suit. The rules around gender provision in school toilets have not been updated since the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 came into force. Seven councils are yet to confirm whether their schools will comply with the ruling. Dumfries and Galloway Council's legal team is reviewing its position. Landmark UK Supreme Court rules 'woman' means biological female in humiliating defeat for SNP Meanwhile, City of Edinburgh Council is "considering what changes need to be made" with an update expected this summer. Five other councils - Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, Midlothian and Perth and Kinross - all confirmed that they had at least one school in which offered no single-sex facilities. They did not confirm whether changes would be made. South Ayrshire, Moray, Stirling and South Lanarkshire councils said none of their schools had any gender-neutral toilets.
