Police chief appeals to young people not to carry knives

A police chief has urged young people not to carry knives, following the death of a teenager at the weekend.

Kayden Moy, 16, from East Kilbride, died after a large disturbance on Irvine beach on Saturday evening. A 17-year-old boy has been charged with his murder.

There was also a stabbing at Portobello beach in Edinburgh, resulting in a 16-year-old being charged with attempted murder.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said the incidents demonstrated the "tragic consequences" of carrying knives.

He told BBC Scotland News: "The key message to children and young people is they shouldn't be carrying knives – it is absolutely the wrong thing to do."

In a direct appeal to young people he said: "You may think it's something that makes you feel more secure, you may feel its something that makes you feel part of a group, you may think in an oblique way that its somehow protecting yourself.

"But the tragic consequences at the weekend demonstrate how horrific, in a second, the fact that you're carrying a knife with you can be, and how it can end lives immediately.

"The clear message is do not carry weapons – do not carry knives."

ACC Mairs said the weekend's events clearly demonstrated the impact of carrying knives and how "one second of madness can bring so much sorrow to so many people".

However, he emphasised that Scotland was still a very safe society and said public spaces, beaches and parks were still safe places for people to gather.

He added that police would be patrolling these areas during the good weather.

Three teenagers have died due to knife crime in Scotland over the space of a year.

ACC Mairs said that although the homicide rate was at its lowest in three years and in the past year there had been a 29% decrease in serious assaults, police were concerned about an increase in violence in schools.

He said the force was working very closely with schools and campus police officers to understand why this was happening and to ensure schools were safe learning environments.

He added that the carrying and use of knives and weapons by children and young people was also an increasing trend.

The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit has said that younger people, aged 11-15, were now carrying knives.

ACC Mairs said: "We are concerned that the average age of those involved in violence is getting younger and younger. Violence is a societal issue – we are working with partners to help address these trends."

He added: "One death because of knife crime is unacceptable so forgetting trends, what happened over the weekend is tragic."

Justice Secretary Angela Constance described the events of the weekend as "tragic" and said her heart went out to Kayden Moy's family.

"We are of course committed to tackling violence and have invested more than £6m since 2023 in the Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland to help divert people away from violence," she said.

"This includes the work of YouthLink Scotland who deliver No Knives Better Lives and Medics Against Violence to help educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives.

"I fully recognise that it will be no comfort to any family who has been affected, but knife crime has fallen, with a 69% decrease in emergency hospital admissions due to assault with a sharp object between 2008-09 and 2023-24."