Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime

Independent

6 days ago

Parents have called on First Minister John Swinney to hand increased powers to the authorities for tackling and punishing youth knife crime.
On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow.
The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024.
His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march.
The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow.
A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide.
Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem.
He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today.
'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes.
'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have.
'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?'
He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.'
He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'.
He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case.
'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children.
'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.'
The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths.
She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media.
'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody.
'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.'
The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks.
Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5.
Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17.
A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death.
The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city.
Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland.
'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live.
'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis.
'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.'
Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime.
'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop.
'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'