Police Scotland officers carried out around 40,000 recorded stop and search incidents in the last year and about one in four had a positive return, with over 900 weapons recovered.
Of those 900 weapons, over 200 were recovered from people aged 17 or under.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell updated the Scottish Police Authority Board in Glasgow yesterday Thursday, 22 May 2025 and policing would continue to work with partners, including the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence, Fearless, local authorities, and others to prevent violence.
She said: “Officers arrested two teenagers after responding to reports at Portobello Beach, Edinburgh, on Friday, 16 May.
“Investigations into those specific incidents will continue and it is essential that the criminal justice process is respected.
“I would at this stage make some broader observations about violent crime, policing’s response and wider efforts to reduce violence and its profound and lasting effect on individuals, families and communities.
“Violent crime is at historically low levels with homicides at record low levels and attempted murders and serious assaults are also at low levels compared to recent years.
“However, I am concerned about the some of the trends around violent crime committed by young people, and often committed against other young people and we think a notable proportion of that is happening in and around schools.
“It’s on policing and partners, local authorities, third sector, and beyond to work together to do all we can to prevent violence and reduce the harm it is causing.
“Reducing violence and preventing the harm it is causing continues to be an absolute priority. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland leads our national approach to addressing violence, antisocial behaviour and for stop and search, which is a really valuable policing tactic to remove weapons from pockets.
“To provide a sense of stop and search, in the last year we had around 40,000 recorded stop and search incidents and about one in four has a positive return, with over 900 weapons recovered as part of that.
“Of those 900 weapons, over 200 were recovered from people aged 17 or under.
“We have a high compliance rate with our code of practice and we have an online dashboard around stop and search so there is accountability and transparency around the use of the tactic, and it is conducted by local officers who know their communities best.
“At the same time, we must continually work with partners to understand and tackle the complex issues around youth violence.
“We know policing can’t answer this alone, and we work closely in partnership with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), Medics Against Violence and Fearless, the dedicated youth service of the charity Crimestoppers, among others.
“Policing is strongly integrated in our communities and I would just mention a couple of examples of prevention initiatives being delivered at a local level.
“In Dumfries and Galloway, officers are delivering the “Do The Right Thing” programme. This is an intervention and prevention initiative aimed at secondary school pupils in the area, addressing critical issues such as hate crime, drugs and substance abuse, domestic abuse, sexual consent, sexual health and mental health, positive masculinity as well as smoking and vaping.
“Supporting Opportunities for Life (SOL) is a partnership project between officers and charity Aid and Abet and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. Peer mentors will work with officers in West Lothian and engage with young people aged 10-25 in schools, colleges and in the community.
“Through the use of early intervention inputs, SOL will help to build and support the young people break that cycle of offending, encourage them to make positive life choices and identify pathways out of offending.
“We also support the No Knives, Better Lives programme and the SVRU’s Quit Fighting for Likes campaign, which supports young people to safely navigate social media and help to prevent violence.
“We’ll continue to work at a national and local level with partners and communities in this vital area and I would conclude with a very, very simple and clear plea to people – do not carry weapons. Doing so can have devastating and irreversible consequences for individuals, for families and for communities. Do not carry weapons.
