The justice secretary Angela Constance says there is resolve to “do more and to do more earlier on” to tackle youth violence after a summit on the issue.
The meeting came in the wake of the deaths of three teenagers – Kory McCrimmon, Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy – and put the devastating consequences of violence amongst young people in the public eye.
In response, the First Minister brought together politicians, youth workers and those delivering violence reduction in Scotland.
But some youth workers and campaigners told STV News they’re frustrated at the pace of change.
Jerry Baldwin, CEO of Fuse Youth Café in Glasgow, said: “While I applaud the government starting to move on youth crime, I think it’s important that we have direct youth delivery organisations round the table.
‘Throwing money at the problem isn’t enough’
“It’s up to date knowledge, they need to know that throwing money at the problem isn’t enough – there’s got to be prevention there. With no local voices, no direct link into organisations, I’m not sure what it will achieve.
“They don’t deal with young people on a day-to-day basis. The long-term solution would be a two-tier approach. Fuse would be delivering drop-ins and we’d be delivering on street as well so we could speak to some of the young people on the streets.
STV News“They’re talking about cash back being the solution – it wasn’t the solution last time.”
The justice secretary said Scotland is a safer place now than it was 15 years ago, with violent crime among young people down, but she said the summit is important as the nature of crime changes.
Speaking after the summit, Constance told STV News: “The Scottish Government will continue its work both in terms of responding to what it’s heard today about what more we can do to support young people to lead positive and productive lives.
“There is agreement that there is more the Scottish Government can do with local government about how young people access services. Services have to be safe spaces for them to attend, they have to be open at times whether that’s in the evening or at weekends.
“Our message to parents is that your government is here to support you. Our focus is on families and on prevention, we do live in a safe country and we want to continue to. There is a recognition that our services have to work together.”
Asked what advice she has for young people considering carrying a knife, she said: “Don’t. There is never any reason or any excuse to carry a knife. All that you will do is increase the risk of harm to yourself or others.”
‘There are no consquences for kids’
Among those with first-hand experience of the youth crime is Vicky Donald whose daughter Kaylynn, 13, was attacked on her way home from school in Ladybank, Fife.
The teenager met with the First Minister to discuss what is being done to tackle and prevent violence after she was left suicidal and requiring mental health support following the attack in October 2022.
Vicky told STV News: “After Kaylynn was attacked, we went to the school and involved the police but they couldn’t take it further because of the ages of the girls.
“Kaylynn decided that she wanted to give up her rights to stay anonymous to make people aware of what was going on. We met up with Ruth Suter at the Daily Record and the campaign started.
“I’ve got mixed emotions about the latest summit. At Kaylynn’s meeting, they promised there would be real action. They said they were going to come back to us with changes.
STV News“If things had changed when we did our summit and if schools and police were given more powers we wouldn’t be where we are today.
“The fact there are no consequences for youngsters, there’s nothing to stop anybody doing anything. When you approach kids they say ‘why not?’. If there is nothing in place to deter them, that’s what they’re going to do – regardless of how they’re brought up at home.
“There’s no quick fixes, I do think implementing powers to police and schools would be a step towards reducing what is happening currently. A clear guideline of consequences, consequences for violence would help in the immediate future.
“I fear we will still be here in two years time. The summit is all talk and making it appear that they are doing something without doing anything. I understand why all the child protection laws came in and have swung too far in one direction.
“Any summit should have politicians and victims there and should be open to the public.
“The SNP is standing back and watching our youth burn and they’re not doing actually anything real to help.”
The Scottish Conservatives described the summit as a “talking shop” – but Constance said that is “absolutely” not true.
STV News“It’s important that Government speaks to the right people,” she said.
“Earlier this year, we spoke to families and young people affected by violence, and we have now taken the opportunity to speak directly to those that are on the front line in terms of delivering youth work and preventative services.
“I know that there is little comfort if you’ve been a victim of crime, or indeed if your family has suffered a very tragic fatality, but what I want to ensure is that the Government as a whole, whether that’s in education, whether that’s in justice, whether it’s the work that we do in health, that we are very focused on prevention.
“It’s about preventing harm occurring in the first place, and that means we need to continue to invest and work with our young people to improve their prospects.”
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