Latest news with #DavidThreadgold
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
‘Truly shocking': Dozens of teens found with knives
In 2024, Scottish police found 91 people aged 18 and under in possession of a bladed weapon, including a 10-year-old. More than a dozen children aged 13 – including two girls – were found to have such items when searched. The statistics, analysed by 1919 magazine, indicate that teenagers accounted for almost a third of positive knife searches across all age groups in Scotland. The Scottish Police Federation's chairman, David Threadgold, expressed concern over an emerging societal trend among younger people, saying the statistics are 'truly shocking'. Scottish Labour 's justice spokesperson, Pauline McNeill, described the figures as a sign of a 'youth violence epidemic' and called for early intervention schemes to address the root causes.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Police caught 91 under-18s with bladed weapons in 2024, figures show
A 10-year-old child was among 91 cases of under-18s found by Police Scotland to be in possession of a bladed weapon last year. 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.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Child aged 10 found with knife amid concerns of ‘youth violence epidemic'
A child aged just 10 was among 91 people aged 18 and under found by Police Scotland to be in possession of a bladed weapon in 2024. The shocking statistics prompted concerns of a 'youth violence epidemic'. It comes following the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy. 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 where someone under the age of 18 was 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.'
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
One in ten Scottish cops took sick leave last year with mental health problems
Fears have been raised over the demands of the job 'CONCERNING' One in ten Scottish cops took sick leave last year with mental health problems Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AROUND one in ten Scots cops took sick leave last year with psychological disorders including alcohol and depression problems, new figures reveal. Stats released under FOI laws show 1,596 of 1,987 officers who took sick leave did so because of issues relating to their mental health, with three officers having committed suicide while off duty. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 Scottish Police Federation chair David Threadgold said the figures are 'concerning'. Credit: Alan MacGregor Ewing 2 Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said that Police Scotland is looking to enhance the support it offers. Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd As of December last year, there were 16,508 full-time equivalent police officers working in Scotland, with the number rising to 16,631 in March 2025. Scottish Police Federation chair David Threadgold has called for a more proactive approach to be taken to help officers struggling with the demands of the job. He told the Scottish Sun: 'The figures are extremely concerning, but unfortunately they're not a surprise to me. 'The challenge we face in the organisation is about being proactive in dealing with the stresses and strains of being in the police. 'We know that cops are going to experience trauma. I think the statistics are the average person will see one or two traumatic events, cops will see 300 or 400 over their service.' It comes just weeks after a harrowing film, Relentless, was released by the SPF to give the public an insight into the gruelling challenges faced by cops here. The four-minute flick draws on the real-life experiences of frontline officers, including Craig Purdon who serves in the east end of Glasgow — and who admitted it is 'hard to switch off' after shifts. Scottish Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Liam Kerr said: 'The SNP must commit to investing in proactive mental health support for our police before things get even worse.' Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill added: 'The SNP must ensure any officer struggling with the stress of the job is able to access the right support.' Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said Police Scotland was working to enhance its health offering to officers with 'our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes'. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Staff and officers can access a range of services to support physical and mental wellbeing."
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Grim blue line! Now hundreds of police stations are in desperate need of repairs
Hundreds of Scottish police stations need upgrades, new figures show, sparking concerns about public safety. Statistics obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show that 333 stations require repairs, which critics say is a result of the SNP 's 'sustained neglect' of services. Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: 'These staggering figures highlight Scotland's depleted and crumbling police estate under the SNP. 'No wonder police morale is so poor, when officer numbers are at a record low and those who remain are often being made to work out of decrepit stations. Despite almost 100 stations being sold in recent years, the funds still aren't there to carry out necessary repairs to those that remain.' He added: 'It's unfair, unsustainable and undermines community policing. This is further evidence of the SNP's sustained neglect of policing and public safety.' Last month, the chair of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, warned Ministers of 'policing deserts' in some areas. David Threadgold said station closures and stress on serving officers had left 'an almost invisible policing presence, providing an utterly reactive service'. In 2023 it emerged a number of police stations in Scotland had been built with collapse-prone concrete. The cost of removing it from Police Scotland's Fettes building, in Edinburgh, was estimated at a massive £4million. A total of 140 police stations and almost 100 police counters closed between 2013 and 2023. Meanwhile, recorded crime rose by four per cent between December 2022 and December 2024. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: 'Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, a substantial proportion of which was no longer fit for purpose or in the right place to best serve our communities. 'No decisions are taken lightly or without consultation, however we can't afford to maintain our estate in its current size or condition. 'We are increasingly sharing locations with other agencies to give our communities the service they need and deserve and to provide better accommodation for officers and staff. 'We have 64 co-locations, representing around a fifth of our estate, with more planned in the coming years and such joint working can deliver more effective service at better value to the public. 'At the same time, we have enabled our officers to spend more time in communities through the roll-out of mobile devices.' A Scottish Government spokeswoman said that decisions on police stations are operational matters for the Chief Constable. She added: 'We have more than tripled the policing capital budget since 2017-18 and we are investing a record £1.64 billion for policing this year. This includes £70 million to invest in resources and estates. 'Police Scotland continues to dispose of properties no longer fit for purpose or required, while reinvesting in purpose-built properties to deliver modern premises.'
