John Swinney to host summit on reducing youth violence

First Minister John Swinney will host a summit on reducing youth violence across Scotland in a bid to prevent knife crime.

The Scottish Government pledged that funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by 7% to £1.217m.

The money comes in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay, 15, and Kayden Moy, 16, who both died this year after allegedly being stabbed.

Three teenage boys, aged 14, 15, and 16 years old have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen Teklay, an Eritrean refugee, in Glasgow on March 5.

People attend a vigil for Eritrean refugee Amen Teklay, 15, who died from fatal injuries in March (Mike Boyd/PA Wire). PA Media

In recent weeks, three teenage boys – a pair aged 17, and a 14-year-old – have appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden Moy who was attacked on Irvine Beach, North Ayrshire, on May 17 and died in hospital.

Later this month, a march against knife crime, Parents Against Knives, will take place in Glasgow organised by the family of Kory McCrimmon, 16, who died after he was stabbed in a park in Glasgow’s east end on May 21 2024.

Police Scotland said that the total number of serious assaults by 11 to 18-year-olds fell 27% between 2019/20 and 2024/25 from 428 to 313, according to the Scottish Government.

An additional £82,000 funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit was announced this week, and Medics Against Violence also received increased funding of up to £345,000 while a further £156,000 has been awarded to the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme.

The summit on Thursday will include the Justice and Education secretaries, Ministers for Children and for Victims and Community Safety, cross-party MSPs, youth workers and community programmes.

It follows discussions led by Mr Swinney to hear young people and families’ experiences and ideas on possible solutions, and will focus on education and community engagement with young people and possible strategies preventing them from turning to anti-social behaviour or carrying a weapon.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Scotland remains a safe place to live.

“But more needs to be done to change the attitudes and behaviours of some who are at risk of violence, or young people considering carrying a weapon.

“There is no place for violence in Scotland and anyone who commits a crime will face the consequences.

“Our work remains focused on ensuring our prevention and punishment measures respond to the changing behaviours of young people. This includes ensuring good school and community engagement with young people, appropriate police powers and tackling the root causes of violence.

“At this meeting we want to hear the views of the youth work and third sector representatives on what more, or different, can be done, within the current financial climate, to help address this issue.

“The role of youth work and grassroots community intervention is key.

“We all must work together to help young people feel safe and realise that carrying a knife is never the answer.”