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Edinburgh Live
2 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Sheriff Court staff confiscate over 200 'bladed weapons' in past year
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info More than 200 bladed weapons were confiscated from people entering Edinburgh Sheriff Court in the 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. 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." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. 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."
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Massive change to online knife laws with social media bosses facing huge fines
Tech bosses will face personal fines of £10,000 while their companies could also be hit with £60,000 demands if they advertise or glorify knives - much higher than originally planned Tech bosses will face even bigger fines than previously expected if they advertise knives to young people, it has been announced. Ministers have ramped up plans to hit web chiefs in the pocket if they help sell deadly weapons or glorify knife violence. Sanctions unveiled today will see individuals fined up to £10,000, while their businesses could also be ordered to pay up to £60,000 for each post shared online. It follows calls from anti-knife crime campaigners to include tougher punishments in the landmark Crime and Policing Bill, which is making its way through Parliament. The Government previously proposed £10,000 fines for those who break the law. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'The kind of content that young people scroll through every day online is sickening and I will not accept any notion that restricting access to this harmful material is too difficult. "Our children need more from us. That is why we are now going further than ever to hold to account the tech companies who are not doing enough to safeguard young people from content which incites violence, particularly in young boys.' Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust - set up in memory of 16-year-old Ben, who was stabbed to death in 2008 - welcomed the move. He said: "The portrayal of knife crime on social media has significantly hindered efforts to reduce it. "Beyond merely normalising, glamorising, and desensitising young people to violence, it has often provided an illegal avenue for purchasing knives without adequate safeguards, such as proper age verification." In February Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a string of measures to save lives after a bombshell report highlighted horrific gaps in the law. Ms Cooper told The Mirror: "We have this crazy situation where there's often more checks for alcohol or for cigarettes or all these different things, and yet these are lethal weapons. "And so that's why we have to change the law." For the first time a new police unit will target deadly weapons being sold on social media, while the Government is looking at compulsory licencing with tougher prison sentences for those profiting from misery. Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was stabbed using a sword his killers had bought online, said her son would still be alive if the new laws were in plac e. Under the new laws online retailers will have a duty to report suspicious bulk purchases they suspect could lead to weapons being resold. An alarming report by Commander Stephen Clayman, the national police lead on knife crime, found laws around online knife sales are less stringent than for alcohol, tobacco, fireworks or even scratchcards. He warned that a "grey market" for deadly weapons on sites like Snapchat and Telegram has grown. His report highlighted one - named Weapons R Us - which sold blades at ramped-up prices through social media. Mr Clayman's report will call for a string of measures designed to save lives. The Home Office has announced jail terms for those selling knives to under-18s will be ramped up from six months to two years. These can be applied to workers who process illegal sales as well as the chief executives of a company.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bay County TDC invests in SS United States artificial reef project
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Scuba diving has always been big business for the dive centers here in Bay County. But some are worried are that having the world's largest artificial reef a few counties away could make their businesses much smaller. 'If they don't put it in that corner that we're asking for, then it won't be reachable from Panama City. So it'll be reachable by Destin only,' Panama City Dive Center owner Patrick Green said. Remarkable Women: Jamie Gary gives women beauty for ashes The SS United States arrived from Philadelphia last week. Okaloosa County commissioners are gambling the last of the great ocean liners will be a major tourist attraction, once it's sunk off their coastline next year. They're considering 3 proposed sites as the ship's final resting place. The furthest site is 55 nautical miles away from Panama City, which is too far for dive boat operators to reach efficiently. The closest is about 35 nautical miles from the St. Andrews Pass. That's the one the local diver operators are supporting. They say that location would benefit everyone. 'If we look at the economic impacts of similar type ships that have been deployed before, it's something between doubling the existing business or roughly doing like another 7000 passengers a year, which is huge. It's a big deal for us,' Green said. Local tourism officials also recognize the significance of the project. 'It's going to sit in 180 feet of water. But the superstructure and the decks itself are going to be accessible just to, you know, folks who can dive 60, 70 feet of water. So, I mean, it really is going to be a great dive for all sorts of different divers,' Bay County Tourist Development Council Executive Director Dan Rowe said. Over 400 Auburn University students spend Spring Break volunteering in Port St. Joe In fact, some TDC members believe the SS United States will be enough of a game changer, that they want to invest in the project, to help get that closer location. The Bay County TDC approved a request to expend up to $3 million over two fiscal years for the promotion and marketing of the SS United States. $2 million will go towards the ship's deployment and $1 million will be spent in promotion. Okaloosa County commissioners will make the final decision on the artificial reef's location. 'They've told me that this is a decision that they will make sooner than later,' Rowe said. $1 million dollars of the county's investment will build a land-based museum to display the ship's artifacts. Okaloosa county officials believe the SS United States will even draw tourists that don't dive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
