Police chief appeals to young people not to carry weapons as knife possession soars in Renfrewshire

The Express reported last week how new data showed 379 bladed weapons offences were recorded in Renfrewshire in the past 11 months
Police chiefs are pleading with young Buddies not to carry weapons as knife crime soars across Renfrewshire.
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs appealed directly to young people just days after the death of Lanarkshire teenager Kayden Moy.
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The Paisley Daily Express reported last week how new data showed 379 bladed weapons offences were recorded in Renfrewshire in the past 11 months – a hike of 31 per cent.
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It was a figure police chiefs described as 'really concerning' as they pointed to an increase in young people carrying knives in local communities.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, ACC Mairs said: 'The key message to children and young people is they shouldn't be carrying knives – it is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
'You may think it's something that makes you feel more secure, you may feel its something that makes you feel part of a group, you may think in an oblique way that its somehow protecting yourself.
'But the tragic consequences [last] weekend demonstrate how horrific, in a second, the fact that you're carrying a knife with you can be, and how it can end lives immediately. The clear message is do not carry weapons – do not carry knives.'
Three teenagers have died due to knife crime in Scotland over the space of a year.
ACC Mairs said that, although the homicide rate was at its lowest in three years and in the past year there had been a 29 per cent decrease in serious assaults, police were concerned about an increase in violence in schools.
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A total of 712 reports of violence were made across Renfrewshire primary and secondary schools in the first seven months of this academic year – a figure that continues to grow.
A freedom of information (FOI) response from Renfrewshire Council earlier this year also revealed that, between the academic years 2019-20 and 2024-25, there had been 256 incidents involving physical violence, aggression or abuse towards Renfrewshire high school teachers.
ACC Mairs also revealed that stop-and-search operations and detections of knife crime shows that a younger age group was now carrying knives, specifically those aged between 11 and 15.
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He said: 'We are concerned that the average age of those involved in violence is getting younger and younger. Violence is a societal issue – we are working with partners to help address these trends.
'One death because of knife crime is unacceptable so forgetting trends, what happened over the weekend is tragic.'
At a recent meeting of Renfrewshire Council's police and fire & rescue scrutiny sub-committee, local police chiefs announced they had launched a working group to specifically address knife crime, with partners in education and youth work sitting on the board.
Officers also committed to a series of awareness campaigns in Renfrewshire schools and the continuation of its stop and search practices.

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