By Adam Morris
Pre-teen children have been caught with knives, drugs, and other stolen items by police stop-and-search teams, 1919 can reveal.
One incident in the east of Edinburgh led to a 10-year-old being found with a bladed weapon on an evening last July.
Several 12-year-olds across the country were searched and found to be carrying weapons and class B drugs, including a girl in Ayr in June.
And in east Fife, a 14-year-old was caught with a firearm when officers were called to an incident in September.
Analysis of all stop-and-search data found children aged between 10 and 17 were responsible for 123 cases where a weapon was found between April and September 2024.
That accounts for more than a quarter of positive weapons searches for all age groups.
The incidents were spread across the country and, including drugs and stolen goods, children under the age of 18 were subject to 566 successful searches in that period.
“The fact that children still young enough to play with toys are walking around with potential murder weapons is deeply disturbing,” said Katy Clark, Scottish Labour’s community safety spokesperson.
“Not only does it create a potentially volatile situation for policing, but it is a sign that children are being led down a path of crime before they have even reached their teens.”
A report setting out the data was submitted to the Scottish Police Authority’s policing performance committee.
It reveals that 25.2 per cent of stop-and-search operations across all age groups resulted in a suspicious item being discovered.
Of the 123 positive weapon searches of young people, 25 were carried out for care and welfare reasons, while a further five were triggered for “protection of life”.
“The fact that children still young enough to play with toys are walking around with potential murder weapons is deeply disturbing”
Labour MSP Katy Clark
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents the rank-and-file, said a reduction of officers in schools and communities means that “preventative” opportunities are being missed.
Chair David Threadgold said: “Police officers who face members of the public in possession of knives or any other weapon are required to make immediate decisions to try to de-escalate those situations, and there are occasions where it is simply impossible to establish the age of the person involved.
“Officers are trained and understand that their actions must be justifiable and subject to the appropriate scrutiny.
“As police officers have largely withdrawn from school environments, the visibility of the police in our communities is less – and the police are seen in communities as merely a reactive force.
“Along with a reducing – if any – preventative element to policing, opportunities are being missed to develop the type of relationships and intelligence gathering that may form part of the solution to this.”
The revelations have also provoked a political row, with opposition parties blaming the Scottish Government for failing to stamp out the problem.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Liam Kerr said: “SNP ministers have been asleep at the wheel while crime has spiralled out of control in Scotland, and more and more youngsters are at risk of getting caught up in such offences.
“They need to wake up to the gravity of this situation and ensure that our children are educated against falling into a life of crime and also provide police with the resources they need to keep communities safe.”
Police Scotland said officers work in line with a strict code of practice, especially when searching young people.
“The carrying of weapons is a complex issue with social, psychological and environmental factors all contributing,” said Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland.
“Stop-and-search, which is intelligence-led, is a valuable and effective policing tactic that helps us keep people safe in many different ways.”
He added: “We recognise that stopping and searching people is a significant intrusion into their personal liberty and privacy and we remain committed to ensuring that people are treated with fairness, integrity, and respect.”
The Scottish Government highlighted that £4 million has been invested in the last two years in violence prevention, while 1.3 million young people across Scotland have been supported through various community and education initiatives.
A spokesperson added that police and councils can increase patrols in problem areas.
“It is wrong to suggest that crime has spiralled out of control when recorded crime is down 40 per cent since 2006/07,” they said.
“It is unacceptable that any child or young person is caught with weapons, drugs or stolen goods.
“Preventing children from going down a path where they are in conflict with the law and supporting them appropriately, constructively and effectively when they do, has been integral to our approach for over a decade.”