Latest news with #AmenTeklay
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Teenager charged over alleged murder bid on boy, 15
A teenager has been charged over the alleged attempted murder of another boy in Glasgow. The 15-year-old was found seriously injured on Denbeck Street in Shettleston at about 22:30 last Thursday. He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment and has since been discharged. Police said a boy, 15, had been charged over the incident and is due to appear in court later. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing. It comes after a spate of violence involving young people across the central belt in recent months. Amen Teklay, 15, died following an alleged attack in Glasgow's Maryhill in March. Three teenagers, aged 14, 15 and 16 have been charged over his death. Kayden Moy, 16, died following a large disturbance on Irvine Beach in May. Three teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, have been charged in connection with his death. A 16-year-old boy was also charged with attempted murder over the alleged stabbing of a 17-year-old on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh days before. Justice minister Angela Constance described recent events as a "youth violence epidemic" after announcing an increase in funding for a centre aimed at tackling crime. The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will receive a 7% funding increase to about £1.2m in an effort to address the underlying caused of violence. Constance said the Scottish government's approach to youth violence was focused on education, adding "effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people" were also in place. She added: "We have made it quite clear that no-one should every carry any weapon including knives at any time, anywhere."
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Teenager charged over alleged murder bid on boy, 15, in Shettleston
A teenager has been charged over the alleged attempted murder of another boy in 15-year-old was found seriously injured on Denbeck Street in Shettleston at about 22:30 last was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment and has since been said a boy, 15, had been charged over the incident and is due to appear in court later. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing. It comes after a spate of violence involving young people across the central belt in recent Teklay, 15, died following an alleged attack in Glasgow's Maryhill in teenagers, aged 14, 15 and 16 have been charged over his Moy, 16, died following a large disturbance on Irvine Beach in teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, have been charged in connection with his death.A 16-year-old boy was also charged with attempted murder over the alleged stabbing of a 17-year-old on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh days before. 'Youth violence epidemic' Justice minister Angela Constance described recent events as a "youth violence epidemic" after announcing an increase in funding for a centre aimed at tackling Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will receive a 7% funding increase to about £1.2m in an effort to address the underlying caused of said the Scottish government's approach to youth violence was focused on education, adding "effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people" were also in added: "We have made it quite clear that no-one should every carry any weapon including knives at any time, anywhere."
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
'Scotland faces a new blade epidemic driven by teenagers'
But that hard work appears to be at risk, as Scotland faces a new blade epidemic driven by teenagers. There have already been two under-18s killed by stabbing in the past three months, including the tragic death of 15-year-old Amen Teklay in Glasgow earlier this year. And today it has been reported that police caught 91 children in possession of knives across the country throughout 2024 using stop-and-search tactics – the equivalent of one every four days. The issue has dominated the political scene, and even forced Jo Farrell, the chief constable, into the admission that she's worried about weapons in and around schools. And yet it wasn't that long ago that Glasgow was being held up as a beacon of how to reduce violent crime. Dedicated teams from London visited the city on a number of occasions to see what could be replicated there in the hope of having a similar effect. Policy leaders from across the world read up on the violence reduction work going on here, on education, and on the targeted interventions that were required to turn the tide in Glasgow, which once had the reputation as one of the most violent cities in the western world. But the new crisis we are facing is such that we clearly need something similar for the whole country, especially involving young people. Now when police find a knife on a person through a positive stop-and-search, there is a 30 per cent chance this will be a teenager. As the Scottish Police Federation say, these are young people who are making a conscious decision to pick up or acquire a blade, conceal it, and then take it out with them onto the streets. Maybe they have no intention of using it, and they see it merely as a deterrent. But they must realise the consequences, one of which is that it could be taken and used against them. The justice system of course has a part to play. The Scottish Government have been too soft for too long, especially on those under 25 who get an easy ride through the courts because it is deemed their brain isn't sufficiently developed yet to be a full-blown criminal. That has to change – slapping these offenders on the wrist isn't just an insult to victims and society, it doesn't do the offenders themselves any good either, as they go straight back onto the streets and continue in their reckless ways. However, we need to go further. Funding for youth clubs and community initiatives – so many of which have been allowed to close under successive governments – must be prioritised. We also need to get police back into schools and into the places where young people are to build relations. Savage cuts to the frontline have limited the opportunity for community officers to help get through to kids before they embark on a life of crime. Nothing can replace the bonds that can be formed in these moments. Glasgow has shown that it can come up with ways to tackle lethal violence in the past. Now the city should lead the charge again to help Scotland as a whole turn this brutal trend around.
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Police caught 91 under-18s with bladed weapons in 2024, figures show
The new statistics, which come in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy, prompted concerns of a 'youth violence epidemic'. The two teenagers both died after allegedly being stabbed in separate incidents this year. Now analysis of Police Scotland stop and search data by the justice and home affairs magazine 1919 showed that in 2024 teenagers accounted for almost a third of positive knife searches across all age groups. The 91 cases of a someone under the age of 18 being caught with a bladed or pointed weapon equate to about one such case every four days. The data revealed a 10-year-old was caught with a knife in the east of Edinburgh in July 2024. Meanwhile, 12-year-olds were caught with bladed weapons in the capital, Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, the magazine reported. In addition, more than a dozen children aged 13 – including two girls – were also found to have such items when searched. David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said: 'Each one of the truly shocking statistics is a justifiable and evidenced-based reaction by the police to an increasingly concerning societal trend we now see emerging among younger members of our communities in Scotland.' He added: 'Each of these statistics is a real situation which created significant risk for my colleagues, as well as potentially life-changing consequences for the perpetrator, and sadly – as we have seen so tragically across Scotland recently – the victims of knife crime, their families and friends.' Mr Threadgold said that the 'solution to this problem cannot rest alone with the police', arguing for 'much greater and more effective preventative strategies' to be put in place across Scotland. Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'These shocking figures are yet another sign that there is a youth violence epidemic emerging in Scotland.' She added: 'Each one of these 91 cases is very serious for our communities and potentially for those actually carrying the weapon. 'The only way to tackle this effectively is to have early intervention schemes that get to the root cause, and without this we will fail our communities.' Calling for 'urgent action', she insisted the Scottish Government had 'created a perfect storm by cutting youth work services, letting police officer numbers fall, and mismanaging CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and education'. First Minister John Swinney has already warned youngsters against carrying knives, insisting this is 'dangerous' and 'damaging'. But Scottish Tory community safety spokesperson Sharon Dowey insisted it was 'high time nationalist ministers woke up to the gravity of this situation'. The Conservative MSP said: 'These alarming figures lay bare just how drastically knife crime has spiralled out of control.' She said there needs to be 'meaningful punishments for those who use a knife' along with 'expanded stop-and-search powers for police to act as a deterrent'. However, she claimed: 'The SNP's soft-touch attitude towards justice represents an abject dereliction of duty by John Swinney's government.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Stop and search powers should be used where lawful, necessary and proportionate. Their use in individual cases is an operational matter for Police Scotland. 'Police do use stop and search, and it is one tool to tackle violence alongside a range of other measures such as prevention and education.' Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland meanwhile said: 'Victims of crime and people right across the country expect us to use all powers at our disposal to keep them safe. 'Stop and search is just one of those powers and one in every three searches leads to the recovery of illicit or harmful items, safeguarding our communities.' Mr Sutherland stressed that 'intelligence-led stop and search is a valuable and effective policing tactic in detecting and preventing crime when it is used lawfully, proportionately and in line with the code of practice, which was introduced in 2017'. This code has a 'dedicated section for children', he added, which provides officers with guidance to be used when when making a decision to stop and search a child. He said: 'We recognise that stopping and searching people is a significant intrusion into their personal liberty and privacy and we remain committed to ensuring that people are treated with fairness, integrity and respect. 'It is also a tactic that enables the service to keep people safe and assist in ensuring the wellbeing of our wider communities.'
STV News
3 days ago
- STV News
Police caught 91 under-18s with bladed weapons in 2024, figures show
A ten-year-old child was among 91 cases of under-18s found by police to be in possession of a bladed weapon last year. The new figures, which come in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy, have prompted concerns of a 'youth violence epidemic'. The two teenagers both died after allegedly being stabbed in separate incidents this year. Now analysis of Police Scotland stop and search data by the justice and home affairs magazine 1919 showed that in 2024 teenagers accounted for almost a third of positive knife searches across all age groups. The 91 cases of a person under the age of 18 being caught with a bladed or pointed weapon equate to around one case every four days. The data revealed a ten-year-old was caught with a knife in the east of Edinburgh in July 2024. Meanwhile, 12-year-olds were caught with bladed weapons in the capital, Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, the magazine reported. In addition, more than a dozen children aged 13 – including two girls – were also found to have such items when searched. David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said: 'Each one of the truly shocking statistics is a justifiable and evidenced-based reaction by the police to an increasingly concerning societal trend we now see emerging among younger members of our communities in Scotland.' He added: 'Each of these statistics is a real situation which created significant risk for my colleagues, as well as potentially life-changing consequences for the perpetrator, and sadly – as we have seen so tragically across Scotland recently – the victims of knife crime, their families and friends.' Mr Threadgold said that the 'solution to this problem cannot rest alone with the police', arguing for 'much greater and more effective preventative strategies' to be put in place across Scotland. Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'These shocking figures are yet another sign that there is a youth violence epidemic emerging in Scotland.' She added: 'Each one of these 91 cases is very serious for our communities and potentially for those actually carrying the weapon. 'The only way to tackle this effectively is to have early intervention schemes that get to the root cause, and without this we will fail our communities.' Calling for 'urgent action', she insisted the Scottish Government had 'created a perfect storm by cutting youth work services, letting police officer numbers fall, and mismanaging CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and education'. First Minister John Swinney has already warned youngsters against carrying knives, insisting this is 'dangerous' and 'damaging'. But Scottish Tory community safety spokesperson Sharon Dowey insisted it was 'high time nationalist ministers woke up to the gravity of this situation'. The Conservative MSP said: 'These alarming figures lay bare just how drastically knife crime has spiralled out of control.' She said there needs to be 'meaningful punishments for those who use a knife' along with 'expanded stop-and-search powers for police to act as a deterrent'. However, she claimed: 'The SNP's soft-touch attitude towards justice represents an abject dereliction of duty by John Swinney's government.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Stop and search powers should be used where lawful, necessary and proportionate. Their use in individual cases is an operational matter for Police Scotland. 'Police do use stop and search, and it is one tool to tackle violence alongside a range of other measures such as prevention and education.' Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland meanwhile said: 'Victims of crime and people right across the country expect us to use all powers at our disposal to keep them safe. 'Stop and search is just one of those powers and one in every three searches leads to the recovery of illicit or harmful items, safeguarding our communities.' Mr Sutherland stressed that 'intelligence-led stop and search is a valuable and effective policing tactic in detecting and preventing crime when it is used lawfully, proportionately and in line with the code of practice, which was introduced in 2017'. This code has a 'dedicated section for children', he added, which provides officers with guidance to be used when when making a decision to stop and search a child. He said: 'We recognise that stopping and searching people is a significant intrusion into their personal liberty and privacy and we remain committed to ensuring that people are treated with fairness, integrity and respect. 'It is also a tactic that enables the service to keep people safe and assist in ensuring the wellbeing of our wider communities.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
