Police data shows 59% rise in children with knives

Newly released police figures show a sharp increase in the number of children found carrying knives in Scotland, with the youngest offenders being just 11 years old. The data, covering the period from April 2025 to March 2026, indicates that 145 under-18s were discovered with blades during police searches, a 59 percent rise from the 91 cases recorded in the 2024 calendar year.

The statistics, analyzed by a justice publication, detail that 127 boys and 18 girls were apprehended, often during searches for other items like drugs or stolen goods. Among the cases were two separate 11-year-old boys, one in Glasgow and one in Irvine, North Ayrshire. Two 12-year-old boys, in Glasgow and on the Isle of Bute, were also found with knives. The discovery in Irvine occurred close to where 16-year-old Kayden Moy was murdered and only months after that fatal stabbing.

The figures emerge amid ongoing concern about youth knife crime, following the conviction last month of three teenagers for Kayden Moy's killing in May 2025. The 16-year-old from East Kilbride was stabbed during a confrontation between rival groups on Irvine beach.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation,...