Murdo Fraser MSP has expressed his concerns at the array of weapons that were found on school children in Perth and Kinross over the last two financial years.
Data supplied to the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information reveals that a total of 29 weapons were found on pupils in the region over this period. The weapons found varied from cutlery knives, hammers to scissors.
The finds mirror a national trend in Scotland, with figures across the country showing that school staff have to deal with six such crimes every school week. Statistics produced last month also showed that a teacher is assaulted by a pupils every four minutes in Scotland. These figures showed that there were 474 instances of pupils in Scotland being caught with offensive weapons in schools in the past years.
The data supplied by Perth and Kinross Council reveals that 15 weapons were found on school pupils during the 2022/23 financial year, and 14 were found in the 2023/24 financial year.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “These figures give me cause for concern. Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a massive problem in Perth and Kinross, but nevertheless many parents will be rightly worried when they read of these figures on weapons found on school pupils. It is shuddering to think that some pupils had brought knives, hammers and scissors to their school.
“In their reply to our Freedom of Information request, Perth and Kinross Council state that the data they supplied includes assault with a weapon and brandishing a weapon, which is alarming. I know my Scottish Conservative colleague, Sharon Dowey, the party’s deputy justice spokesman, has called the number of weapons found in schools ‘an epidemic of disorder and violence’ and I agree with her.
“Once again, this highlights how the SNP Government have not to grip with this issue.”
In the FoI sent by Perth and Kinross Council, the local authority said: “The care and welfare of both of our staff and our pupils is a priority. Most pupils do not experience dysregulated behaviour. Any incident reported is investigated and appropriate action taken.
“The data reported relates to incidents staff perceive resulted from distressed or challenging behaviour or violence and aggression. Data is reported in an academic year and figures given for violence and aggression incidents include incidents of distressed or challenging behaviour.”
