Latest news with #MedicsAgainstViolence
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Swinney to host youth violence summit after knife murders
First Minister John Swinney will host a summit to in a bid to prevent knife crime less than a month after a teenager was murdered on a beach. The Scottish government also pledged funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will rise by 7% to more than £1.2m. Kayden Moy, 16, died in hospital following the attack in Irvine, which came two months after Amen Teklay, 15, was fatally stabbed in Glasgow. Police Scotland have made arrests in connection with both investigations. On the same weekend Kayden was attacked there was also a stabbing at Portobello beach in Edinburgh, resulting in a 16-year-old being charged with attempted murder. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said the incidents demonstrated the "tragic consequences" of carrying knives. The summit also comes ahead of a march against knife crime later this month. It has been organised by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who was 16 when he was fatally stabbed in May last year in a park in the city's east end. Last month a 14-year-old boy was locked up for five years for killing the teenager in fight over £50. Despite the high-profile recent murders Police Scotland said that the total number of serious assaults by 11 to 18-year-olds fell 27% between 2019/20 and 2024/25 from 428 to 313. An additional £82,000 funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit was announced this week. Medics Against Violence also received an additional £345,000 while a further £156,000 has been awarded to the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme. The summit, on Thursday, will include the justice and education secretaries, ministers for children and for victims and community safety, cross-party MSPs, youth workers and community programmes. It follows discussions led by Swinney to hear young people and families' experiences and ideas on possible solutions. The event will focus on education and community engagement with young people and possible strategies to prevent them from turning to anti-social behaviour or carrying a weapon. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: "Scotland remains a safe place to live. "But more needs to be done to change the attitudes and behaviours of some who are at risk of violence, or young people considering carrying a weapon. "There is no place for violence in Scotland and anyone who commits a crime will face the consequences." Ms Constance said it was vital to tackle the root causes of violence. She added: "We all must work together to help young people feel safe and realise that carrying a knife is never the answer." Three teenage boys - aged 14, 15, and 16 - have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen, an Eritrean refugee, in Glasgow on 5 March. Kayden Moy, of East Kilbride, was critically injured on Irvine Beach, North Ayrshire, on 17 May and died in hospital. In recent weeks, three teenage boys - two aged 17 and a 14-year-old - have appeared in court charged with his murder. Police chief appeals to young people not to carry knives Boy, 14, is third charged over Kayden Moy death Second teenager charged over Amen Teklay knife murder
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Police union chief demands power "to save lives" after Kayden Moy beach death
David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, made the call in the wake of 16-year-old Kayden Moy's death at the weekend. Scotland's police union chief has demanded "more power to save lives" in the wake of Kayden Moy's tragic death. David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Police Federation, said the force urgently needs new and robust legislation to stop and search under 16s for blades. Kennedy said that although police work tirelessly across the country to keep youths safe, current stop and search powers"do not go far enough" to combat knife crime. "The tragic stabbing of a 16-year-old is yet another stark reminder of the growing threat of youth violence on our streets. "Police officers across Scotland are working tirelessly to keep the public safe, but we are operating with one hand tied behind our backs. Current stop and search powers do not go far enough to tackle the rise in young people carrying weapons. "It has become increasingly difficult for police to deal with under 16s due to laws that were introduced to protect children and young people but, in fact, it does the opposite because police are left with their hands tied. "We have to be able to conduct stop and searches and do that no matter what age they are. As it stands, you need to have reasonable cause to do so and that will be difficult to establish when it comes to youths. "Youths are getting away with a lot in terms of crime nowadays and we urgently require new, robust legislation that empowers officers to act decisively and prevent violence before it happens. "The law must evolve to reflect the reality our officers face every day. " Kennedy echoed the calls of Scotland's former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill who also called for stronger stop and search powers to tackle the issue of youth violence in Scotland. Speaking on Tuesday, MacAskill said: 'We need to get tough on the small minority of evil intent and support the majority to enjoy their childhoods and their youths. 'If that means bringing in more stop-and-searches, then so be it. 'Scotland has experienced violence like this before. Tragedies were happening and many lives were being ruined as a result of knife crime and youth violence. 'Through tough enforcement, harsh sentencing and targeting and diverting, we made society safer for young people. We need to go back to what we did because we turned the tide. The tide is coming back in and we need to address knife crime again.' Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'My heart goes out to the family and friends of Kayden Moy and to any family who has lost a child or loved one in such horrific circumstances. The events of the weekend are tragic. 'We are of course committed to tackling violence and have invested more than £6 million since 2023 in the Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland to help divert people away from violence. This includes the work of YouthLink Scotland who deliver No Knives Better Lives and Medics Against Violence to help educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives. 'I fully recognise that it will be no comfort to any family who has been affected, but knife crime has fallen, with a 69% decrease in emergency hospital admissions due to assault with a sharp object between 2008-09 and 2023-24. 'In relation to stop and search, police officers have the power to carry out stop and search and this is an operational matter for Police Scotland.'
