a day ago
Glasgow council hold emergency meeting on youth violence amid deaths of three teens
City leader Susan Aitken said the recent deaths of teenagers showed there was a growing problem with youth violence in Scotland.
Glasgow's council leader has described the tragic deaths of three teenagers due to knife crime as 'a warning sign' in an emergency meeting on youth violence.
The issue was brought before the full council after a powerful march on Sunday by the family of Kory McCrimmon, 16, who died after being attacked with a blade in Greenfield Park on May 31.
His grieving parents, leading the Parents Against Knives campaign, told the country "enough is enough" and demanded action from leaders in Holyrood.
City leader Susan Aitken said his death, and the recent deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy showed there was a growing problem with youth violence in Scotland.
She said: 'We should take the opportunity to ask what we do collectively that matches the necessity of the moment and whether it is enough.
'Lets not forget that our city centre, our streets and our communities belong to our young people.
'If some of our young people are being drawn into violence by anti-social behaviou r that negatively affects them and the wider public then that's a problem and we need to address it.
'If other young folk are so fearful of being affected by violence that they themselves need to carry blades, that's a cycle we need to break.'
Scotland has been rocked by three blade tragedies in less than 12 months. Amen, an Eritrean refugee, was found seriously injured in Maryhill on March 5. Kayden died after an incident at Irvine Beach on May 17. Teen boys have been charged in connection with both deaths.
Just last month, a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to five years for the culpable homicide of Kory.
The tragedies have taken place amid the Record's Our Kids ... Our Future campaign, which was launched two years ago in response to a youth violence epidemic.
Councillors on Thursday backed a motion to urgently explore new solutions stressing that families must be part of the response amid growing safety concerns.
SNP councillor Laura Doherty warned: "We must take a balanced view. While recent events have rightly drawn attention, the broader picture is more complex.
"The truth is today young people are growing up in a very different world.
"The pandemic causes disruption to learning, social development and mental well-being. We are now seeing some of the long term effects of that destruction.'
Kory's aunt Jackie said Sunday's march sent a clear message: 'We've had enough. We need to see change now.' The family are calling for a meeting with John Swinney and Justice Scretary Angela Constance.
Labour councillor Kevin Lalley added: "Many young people have a future to look forward to but with the recent violence these [children] have no future. We must all get involved to ensure tragedies that affect many families can be averted.'
The council instructed the chief executive to involve young people in shaping new anti-violence strategies.
The Record's Our kids... Our Future campaign was launched in February 2023 after we highlighted a worrying trend of violence amongst teens.
Our campaign has called on the Scottish Government to invest in youth clubs and other ways to help young people.
The Scottish Government recently announced an £82,000 boost for the Violence Reduction Unit, following pressure from campaigners.
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