Edinburgh Sheriff Court staff confiscate over 200 'bladed weapons' in past year
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show guns, bullets and 2,000 blades are among the deadly haul of weapons brought into Scottish courts in the last year.
Security staff seized 1,258 bladed items and 815 knives at courthouse checkpoints between April 2024 and March this year.
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Edinburgh's Sheriff Court was the second worst affected building in Scotland, with more than 200 bladed weapons and 119 knives found by security staff at checkpoints between April 2024 and March this year.
The data, obtained by our sister title the Daily Record, did not reveal which types of knives were seized or whether the blades were over three inch legal limit for carrying in public.
Glasgow Sheriff Court takes the unwanted place at the top of the weapons list with 278 blades seized and 123 knives. The worst month was October 2024 where a total of 40 bladed articles and 16 knives were seized.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said they take the safety of all court users "very seriously" and security crews alert police when attempts to smuggle in weapons are made.
However knife crime charity, the Ben Kinsella Trust, branded the grim statistics as "deeply alarming".
Chief executive Patrick Green said: "The large number of bladed articles seized at the entrance of court buildings is deeply alarming.
"What's especially concerning is that the prospect of a search isn't deterring individuals, which points to a worrying normalisation of knife carrying."
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Blades have also made their way into Scotland's two High Courts where the country's most serious crimes are tried.
The data shows that 174 bladed articles were taken from individuals at Glasgow High Court, whilst 51 knives were confiscated.
In the capital, Edinburgh High Court has a much reduced rate of sharp weapons entering the building. Only six bladed articles were confiscated whilst 22 knives were seized..
Some data from the country's smaller courts were not available.
A spokesperson for Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: "SCTS takes the safety of all court users very seriously. We constantly review security issues and share those outcomes with our justice partners, including Police Scotland, in order to take all reasonable precautions against weapons being introduced into court buildings.
"Any item which is considered to be a potential risk to public safety will be confiscated on entering a court building and the discovery of weapons or potential weapons is immediately reported to the police."
A Scottish Violence Reduction Unit spokesperson said: "There is no place for weapon-carrying in Scotland and we should not accept it.
"We must continue to work together across all services to tackle the root causes of weapon-carrying to address the problem."
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