Former police chief makes plea over youth violence and knife crime
The former head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency says a Scottish Government summit on youth violence can stop teenagers becoming involved in organised crime
A FORMER police chief has called for a new crackdown on knives to prevent youngsters becoming the organised crime kingpins of tomorrow.
First Minister John Swinney will today host a summit to look at ways of tackling the epidemic of youth violence.
The move follows the deaths of 16-year-old Kayden Moy on Irvine beach, Ayrshire, last month and Amen Teklay, 15, in Glasgow in March.
In an exclusive interview with Criminal Record - our new weekly podcast - Graeme Pearson, former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), said young people using knives are easy prey for gangsters.
He recognises keeping young men on the right side of the law can be difficult when they see the money being earned from the "wealth pie" of organised crime. In the last three months an organised crime explosion across Scotland has seen a series of firebombings and attacks on Daniel family members and their associates. Some of the 42 people arrested are in their late teens and early 20s.
Graeme Pearson added: "You are talking hundreds of millions of pounds from the drugs trade. There will always be someone willing to accept money to commit these attacks. "The lifestyle that comes with the wealth is something they would not have experienced in their previous life. "Suddenly young people who come from working class-type backgrounds are getting access to high-value cars and houses and world travel."
Pearson said it's important young people realise the downside is a seven day-a-week risk of being shot or police arrest. "Paranoia then sets in. Suddenly the lifestyle is not as glamorous." The ex-cop wants the youth violence summit to lead to more jobs and better educational opportunities for teenagers and more attractive options than a life of crime.
He cotinued: "It's important we don't lecture young people about criminality - they know what's going on. "They need to know there is a job for them. If we are talking about youth clubs then we need to invest in them."
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Pearson believes the latest increase in drugs deaths is a legacy of 20 years of failure and false promises.. The country has the highest drugs death rate in Europe and new Scottish Government figures show drug deaths in Scotland rose by a third to 308 in the first three months of this year.
Pearson added: "We have had a growing demand for drugs which is generated by crime. "We have been told over the years that measures being taken would reduce the numbers of drugs deaths but that hasn't happened. "We still have needles in public places. "More than 25 per cent assets of our prisoners are on methadone. "We need new methods of intervention and treatment and at the same time invest in the enforcement that reduces the numbers of drugs coming into the country to be abused."
Pearson, a former Labour MSP and justice spokesman, also wants tougher proceeds of crime laws to make it harder for gangs to hide their assets. The SCDEA was formed in 2001 to target organised crime. Pearson led it between 2004 and 2007 when a number of major criminals were brought to justice. It was disbanded in 2013 after the formation of Police Scotland.
He said steps must be taken by politicians and police to protect children and our way of life from organised crime. The former police chief wants greater powers for the police and courts to both freeze and seize criminal assets. Pearson added: "We need new proceeds of crime legislation as a matter of urgency. I spent a lot of time in the early 2000s promoting the original legislation. I was told what I was recommending was draconian.
"The last 20 years have shown what happens when one is relaxed about how you address the seizure of assets from organised crime. "We do not seize enough and draw the wealth that comes from it. That is the key to tackling organised crime - you reduce the profit then you seize the profit."
He added: " Organised crime is a cancer. It's killing communities and holding back legitimate businesses through intimidation."
"Pearson said tougher proceeds of crime laws means money recovered could be reinvested in the communities and estates where the profits were plundered. He believes one way of tackling organised crime between groups like the Lyons and Daniel clans s is more cops disrupting gang members' day-to-day activities.
He said: "What the public need is more police officers on the beat. It might be traditional but it works."
This week the Record delivers a three-part video series documenting 25 years of warfare between the Lyons and Daniel crime clans. Visit our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok to see the latest
For the latest news, views and opinions on Scotland's crime scene, check out Criminal Record - a new weekly podcast brought to you by the Record team . Each week, crime writer Norman Silvester discusses the latest in the gangland turf war and all the other big crime news of the week. Tune in on the Record's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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