'Soft-touch' justice slammed as number of teens caught carrying blades rockets by 60 per cent

By MICHAEL BLACKLEY, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 21:50, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 21:50, 6 July 2026 Soaring numbers of teenagers are being caught with knives by police using stop and search powers, in a damning indictment of the impact of the SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice. In 2025/26, there were 145 instances where under-18s were found in possession of blades, including some as young as 11. It is a staggering 59 per cent increase compared to 91 in 2024 and led to claims that the SNP’s approach to justice is not proving a sufficient deterrent. The rise in youngsters apprehended comes amid growing concern about knife crime among young people in the wake of three boys being convicted for the killing of 16-year-old Kayden Moy in Ayrshire last year. David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: ‘Every one of these incidents is a knife being removed from the streets and potentially a life saved. ‘Officers need to be supported in this work, and as it stands there are too many obstacles when an officer reasonably suspects someone may be carrying a weapon.’ The figures were published by 1919 magazine following an analysis of Police Scotland data. They show that there were positive searches for knives for 127 boys and 18 girls last year, including two separate 11-year-old boys in Glasgow and Irvine, as well as 12-year-old boys in Glasgow and the Isle of Bute. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: ‘These deeply alarming figures are the latest evidence of the SNP’s soft-touch justice agenda failing Scotland. There has been an increase in youngsters with knives ‘Far too many young people now believe they can carry a knife without facing serious consequences. ‘Reckless under-25 sentencing guidelines have weakened deterrence and sent entirely the wrong message to offenders. ‘Following the tragic loss of young lives to knife crime, ministers should be doing everything possible to educate young people about the devastating consequences of carrying a blade and to get deadly weapons off our streets. ‘Instead, the SNP has presided over a loss of deterrence and a justice system that too often appears to put offenders before victims.’  Police Scotland data shows that the sharp rise in teenagers caught with knives comes despite the total number of searches of under-18s falling from 6,487 in 2024/25 to 5,882 in 2025/26, while overall searches of all age groups increased by just 2.2 per cent from 40,065 in 2024/25 to 40,964 in 2025/26. The Scottish Government highlighted that more than £8million had been invested in prevention and early intervention to tackle youth violence including knife crime since 2023. Justice Secretary Neil Gray said: ‘There is no reason to ever carry a weapon, at any time. The Scottish Government fully supports Police Scotland to take appropriate and proportionate action to safeguard public safety. Stop and search is a valuable tool in combating crime and keeping people safe.’ Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton said: ‘Intelligence-led stop and search is a valuable and effective policing tactic that helps us keep people safe in many different ways. ‘All searches carried out are subject to governance and review in line with scrutiny arrangements to confirm they comply with the Code of Practice. ‘We recognise that stopping and searching people is a significant intrusion into their personal liberty and privacy and we remain committed to ensuring that people are treated with fairness, integrity and respect.’