Officers 'walking past' people armed with knives - police federation

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) is calling for stronger search powers to prevent young people from carrying knives.

It comes after two teenagers were cleared of murdering 15-year-old Amen Teklay, who was stabbed through the heart with a sword in Glasgow last year.

The teenager's death followed the fatal stabbings of Kayden Moy, 16, on Irvine beach last May and 16-year-old Kory McCrimmon in the east end of Glasgow in May 2024.

SPF general secretary David Kennedy said Scotland was "absolutely" facing a knife crisis and blamed the loss of some stop-and-search powers.

Non-statutory or "consensual" stop-and-searches were abolished in 2017.

A new code of practice was introduced that stipulated that searches must be intelligence-led and based on "reasonable grounds".

Kennedy told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme that the powers were removed after "statistics took over" and pressure was put on police officers to search people incorrectly "to get numbers".

He warned: "Police officers now are walking by people who are carrying knives.

"They don't have the same powers to stop and search."

Kennedy reiterated calls for guns in police cars and said he stood by his comments earlier this year that anyone who pulls a knife in Scotland should expect to be shot.

The SPF general secretary said he wanted police officers to have easier access to guns after the Skye shootings in 2022.

"We're not involved in crime prevention anymore, we're reacting," he said.

"We need to get back to preventing and the only way you do that is getting the police back into communities.

"If we get back to that Scotland will be in a better place but it's going to take decades, and we have to start now."

He added: "We can't have any more young people's lives being lost because of knife crime."

Amen Teklay died after he was stabbed in Glasgow's St George's Cross area in March last year.

On Monday, two boys, aged 16 and 17, were cleared of his murder. They cannot be named because of their age.

The trial at the High Court in Glasgow had heard that the stabbing followed a feud between Amen and the younger boy.

It was said to have started in 2024 after Amen and some of his friends, allegedly armed with knives, stole cannabis from the 16-year-old and two other boys during a drug deal.

That led to a series of clashes between Amen and the 16-year-old, some of which involved various weapons.

A number of the incidents in the city were caught on CCTV and shown in court.

One witness said the two boys were "at war".

Some of Amen's relatives wept outside court as a statement was read out on their behalf.

The statement said: "Amen was more than the circumstances of his death. He was a young man who was known, valued and cared about by so many.

"His loss has been felt deeply not only by those closest to him but by the people across our community."

It added: "We have also seen the fear, sadness and uncertainty which violence leaves behind.

"Its impact reaches far beyond those involved and it is felt by families, friends, neighbours and young people across our country.

"We hope today encourages more to reflect on what could be done so that fewer young people, fewer families and fewer communities have to experience this kind of loss."

Lainy Bedingfield runs Kingsway Community Connections, overseeing projects and services in part of the west of Glasgow with a focus on helping vulnerable teenagers.

She met Amen when he lived nearby.

Bedingfield said it was "frightening" to see how carrying knives had almost become normalised for teenage boys.

She told BBC Scotland News: "They don't quite understand the repercussions and they're scared and they think they need it for protection.

"A misguided thought I would suggest, but that's what we hear and that's what we think is the root cause."

The 16-year-old boy accused of Amen's murder told his trial how he bought a sword online for £40.

He said that both he and Amen had swords and claimed that he stabbed him in self-defence.

The older teenager said he had been standing a distance away and did not attack Amen.

Bedingfield said regulations need to be stronger.

She added: "Legislate against it. Make it not happen.

"Make it impossible for young people to be buying bladed instruments across the internet and get them delivered to their house."

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish government fully supported the police to take "appropriate and proportionate action to safeguard public safety".

He added: "Stop and search is a valuable tool in combating crime and keeping people safe.

"We continue to work with partners to tackle and prevent youth violence and in particular knife crime, alongside education, diversion and mentoring programmes."

Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton said intelligence-led stop and search was a "valuable and effective policing tactic".

She added: "This tactic must be used lawfully, proportionately and in line with the code of practice, introduced in 2017, for which we have a high compliance rate.

"The code has a dedicated section for children and provides guidance for officers when making a decision to stop and search a child using the appropriate statutory power.

"All searches carried out are subject to governance and review in line with scrutiny arrangements to confirm they comply with the code of practice being lawful, necessary and proportionate."