- In 2024, Scottish police found 91 people aged 18 and under in possession of a bladed weapon, including a 10-year-old.
- More than a dozen children aged 13 – including two girls – were found to have such items when searched.
- The statistics, analysed by 1919 magazine, indicate that teenagers accounted for almost a third of positive knife searches across all age groups in Scotland.
- The Scottish Police Federation's chairman, David Threadgold, expressed concern over an emerging societal trend among younger people, saying the statistics are “truly shocking”.
- Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson, Pauline McNeill, described the figures as a sign of a “youth violence epidemic” and called for early intervention schemes to address the root causes.
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