First Minister John Swinney accused of being 'weak' on knife crime amid spate of youth violence

The First Minister has been accused of being “weak” on knife crime after a spate of youth violence has left two teens dead and 11 injured in the past two months.

John Swinney was repeatedly urged by opposition leaders to take a “tougher approach” to knife crime at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.

The challenge at Holyrood follows the death of 16-year-old schoolboy Kayden Moy, who was allegedly stabbed at Irvine beach at the weekend.

Kayden’s death followed a separate incident on Edinburgh’s Portobello beach on Friday evening that left a 17-year-old boy injured.

In total, between March 5 and May 17, STV News has reported on 12 alleged knife incidents involving youths, with 16 teenagers arrested and/or charged.

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay told the First Minister that Police Scotland has reported a 600% rise in serious assaults committed by teenagers in the past five years.

“Young people don’t feel safe due to the sickening rise in youth violence,” Findlay said.

The Tory leader slammed Swinney’s SNP Government for “systematically weakening” the justice system – especially in youth justice and for “seeking to make excuses for those who commit harm”.

Findlay claimed schools “won’t exclude disruptive and dangerous pupils”, and he criticised the SNP for sending young offenders to children’s panels rather than courts to face consequences.

He also criticised the Scottish sentencing guidelines for being too soft on young people who commit crimes.

“What does John Swinney have to say to parents who tell me they’re terrified every time their son or daughter leaves the house?” Findlay said.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar added that many parents are living in fear “due to the culture of violence that’s going unchallenged” and that Kayden Moy’s death “won’t be the last”.

“Many parents are rightly worried. They’re asking how this Government has allowed things to get so out of control,” Sarwar said.

The First Minister expressed sympathy to the family of Kayden Moy before defending his Government.

He said “one knife incident is one too many” amidst the recent spate of youth violence.

However, Swinney insisted that Scotland “is a safer country today than it has been in the past”.

“We have seen sustained falls in knife crime in the last 15 years. But I will repeat that one incident is one too many, and we will act to eradicate such incidents,” he said.

Swinney said his Government takes three approaches to knife crime: education, effective punishment, and community engagement/prevention.

He defended the SNP’s “great attachment” to education, and emphasised that prison sentences remain on the table for young people who commit crimes.

Swinney added: “That is what the law says and people need to understand the consequence of carrying a knife and committing an offence, there is a risk of imprisonment.”

He also urged youngsters to follow advice issued by Police Scotland on Wednesday, with the SNP leader saying: “Under no circumstances should young people carry knives in our society, it is dangerous, it is damaging, and young people should not do it.”