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Daily Record
07-08-2025
- Daily Record
Violent crime by children in Scotland at record levels says shock new report
A shock new Scottish Government report shows that violence by children - including assaults on teachers - accounted for a third of all violent crimes last year Violent crime by children - including attacks on teachers - is at record levels according to a shock new report. The annual Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS), carried out for the Scottish Government, found attacks by under 16's which took place in the victim's workplace accounted for 23 percent of all violent crimes last year. Up from five per cent in both 2019/20 and 2021/22. The study then revealed that workplace based violent crimes involving children appeared to be 'mainly against workers in education or care roles'. No details were given of the types of attacks on teachers but the report said 87 percent of all violent crime across Scotland involved assaults or attempted assaults with eight percent coming in the serious assault category. Yesterday there were calls for the Scottish Government to take urgent action to stem the rising tide of violence in the classroom with one union saying they would consider industrial action if nothing is done. Mike Corbett National Official of the NASUWT teachers union said: "There is no doubt that these figures capture some of the issues facing teachers in Scotland's schools at the moment and echo the findings of our own surveys, all of which confirm that there has been an increase in violent and abusive behaviour from pupils towards teachers in recent years. "The Scottish Government, recognised the problem and published a Joint Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour in August last year to try and help to address this. Regrettably, when surveyed in January this year about the Action Plan, only four percent of NASUWT members in Scotland had been made aware of it by their local authority or school. "It is vital that the Action Plan is properly embedded in Scotland's schools this academic year. "If not, NASUWT will not hesitate to support members in taking industrial action to protect their health and safety, wherever necessary." Earlier this year the union raised concerns of members at Kirkintilloch High School in East Dunbartonshire over the numbers of attacks on staff who claimed that the pupils responsible faced no consequences for their abusive and violent behaviour. An spokesperson for the EIS teaching union added;"Violence in schools, including assaults on teachers and other school staff, is a serious issue which has become even more acute in recent years. "This has come into particularly sharp focus in the years since the pandemic, with a growing number of young people living in challenging circumstances and this can sometimes lead to inappropriate behaviour in schools, including violence in extreme cases.. "There is a need for greater support for school staff to help manage pupil behaviour. "Where violent incidents do occur, schools must have robust procedures in place to deal with these incidents and must offer support to the staff concerned. " A total of 231,000 violent crimes were suffered by adults in 2023/24 according to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey y. Of that total the proportion of offenders under the age of 16 was almost a third (31 per cent). More than treble the 2021/22 figure at eight percent. The SCJS report said it was unusual to see such a large change in one year. It added:'The increase in violent crime is being driven by more occurring in a victim's workplace, and those involving perpetrators under the age of 16." Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "It is quite clear that the SNP Government have no answers to tackle this serious trend. "Despite the summits they have had on youth crime there has been nothing of substance in the action they plan to take. "It is obvious there needs to be an injection of resources to increase early intervention programmes, using tried and tested ways of setting young people on a better path." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and former youth worker Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:""While acts of violence require a strong response, punishing predominantly law-abiding young people cannot be only broader solution. "We need youth work to pre-empt and prevent those acts, to properly engage young people in society and lay the foundations for them to succeed in life.' The SCJS study was based on 4,970 interviews with adults aged 16 and over in Scotland, conducted between July 2023 and April last year. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said 'The Scottish Government is taking decisive action to tackle youth violence through our comprehensive Violence Prevention Framework, backed by over £6 million in targeted investment since May 2023. "We have also increased funding to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to £1.2 million this year to deliver increased activity to help steer young people away from violence including knife crime. "I recently chaired a cross-party meeting on youth violence with the First Minister and we are actively developing additional measures to support young people, families and communities. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland added :"Violence in any environment, including schools, is entirely unacceptable." In the last two years the Daily Record has highlighted the growing problem of teacher attacks and youth violence as part of "Our Future Campaign." In June we reported how a pupil who left a teacher scarred for life in a savage attack walked free from court. Kieran Matthew, 18, dumped Carol Shaw head-first on a concrete floor at St Paul's Academy in Dundee and left her in a pool of blood. He then put his feet up on a desk and said: 'That stupid cow deserved it.' The city's sheriff court heard how Matthew, who has ADHD was being educated outside mainstream classes, lashed out after refusing to get changed alone. Matthew was told that the teacher attack merited 18 months in custody. However, he was instead put under social work supervision for three years and placed on a curfew for 12 months. In another incident in May, 2023 a teacher was left lying on the floor of a corridor at Taylor High School in Motherwell school corridor after he was allegedly attacked by a pupil. A 13-year-old male was later charged in connection with the incident. We also told that same month of how a Primary School teacher attacked in a classroom was left with a lifechanging disability and unable to hold his newborn baby. The man, who asked not to be named, said that staff were frightened to report violent attacks taking place in schools due to a "toxic culture of teacher blaming". Another teacher said they frequently struggle to deliver lessons due to constant disruption in the classroom. He said: "We have fire alarms being set off regularly, pupils running around corridors during class time, some causing disruption by coming into lessons they are not timetabled for or just defiantly not coming to their lesson at all."
The National
10-06-2025
- The National
1 in 5 Scottish adults a victim of crime last year
The research also found that almost one in 10 people was the victim of a fraud or computer misuse crime, in the first analysis of such offences by the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS). The 2023-24 survey estimates that 1,185,000 crimes happened in Scotland in that time frame. It found that 19.9% of adults were estimated to have experienced at least one crime, and this included property offences (10.3%), violence (2.9%) and fraud and computer misuse (9.5%). READ MORE: SNP hit out at 'white elephants' as Labour commit £14bn to English nuclear plant Fraud and computer misuse are estimated to account for more than two-fifths (44%) of all crimes in the latest year, with almost half of these offences (47%) being bank and credit card fraud. The proportion of adults who experienced at least one property or violent crime increased from 10.0% in 2021-22 to 12.1% in 2023-24. The figures showed that, similar to previous years, the majority of violent incidents were cases of minor assault resulting in no or negligible injury (61%), while instances of serious assault (8%) and robbery (5%) remained relatively uncommon. The report noted that the proportion of violent crime offenders aged under 16 was 31%, the highest level recorded by the SCJS. However, it noted that this increase is based on a single year and said it will be 'important to monitor future surveys to see if this is a new trend.' The survey found that while the volume of property and violent crime combined has increased since 2021-22, it remains at similar levels to the pre-pandemic position in 2019-20 and below that in 2008-09. Scotland's Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, said: 'Crime continues to be down significantly over the long term, though the survey does highlight areas of concern and the need for continued action from governments and justice partners. 'While the levels of crime experienced remain similar to the pre-pandemic position in 2019-20, I am keen to understand what has contributed to the rises in crime identified since the 2021-22 survey. 'I am also concerned about levels of fraud and computer misuse, including bank and credit card fraud, which can cause significant harm to individuals and businesses. 'A range of action will continue to enhance Police Scotland's response to fraud, to raise awareness among the public of the potential risks and to help protect individuals and organisations from cyber criminals. 'Overall, and importantly, this survey shows most people do not experience any crime and only a very small proportion are affected by violent crime, but I have been consistently clear that any incidence of violence is one too many. 'That is why we are taking forward a wide range of actions to prevent, reduce and tackle violence, funded with more than £6 million invested over the past three years on top of our record funding for police.' The survey also found that less than half of adults in Scotland (45%) believed the police in their local area were doing an 'excellent' or 'good' job in 2023-24, down from 61% in 2012-13 and 49% in 2021-22. However, in 2023-24, the majority of adults in Scotland said they felt very or fairly safe walking alone in their local area after dark (75%) and when in their home alone at night (95%). These findings were based on a survey of 4,973 adults (aged 16 or over) living in private households in Scotland with interviews conducted between July 2023 and April 2024.
