Latest news with #StephenKerr
Daily Record
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Sharp rise in Stirling knife crime sees response from cops and First Minister
The figures - acquired by a Conservative MSP - have revealed a "shocking" rise in the number of incidents involving 'bladed or pointed article crimes' from 2022 to 2024. A 'shocking' surge in knife crime incidents has been revealed in Stirling over the last two years according to newly-released data. The figures were discovered by Central Scotland MSP Stephen Kerr in a parliamentary question at Holyrood which asked about the number of 'bladed or pointed article crimes' reported across the council area. The data shows that 81 such crimes were recorded in Stirling in 2024, rocketing up from 48 in 2022. Mr Kerr has raised the alarm over the figures and the impact on local communities - while taking a shot at the Scottish Government's handling of the issue. The MSP — who is standing at the Conservative candidate in the Stirling constituency at next year's Holyrood election — said: 'These shocking figures lay bare the SNP Government's abject failure to get a grip on Scotland's knife crime epidemic. 'This terrible surge in knife crime in Stirling in just two years isn't just a statistic; it's a terrifying indictment of a justice system that is failing our communities. 'Enough is enough. The SNP need to stop their soft-touch approach to justice, get tough on knife crime, and make Stirling safe again.' The most recent data from Statista shows a record high in the number of incidents recorded by police involving offensive weapons of all kinds (including knives and bladed weapons), with 10,835 such crimes highlighted in 2023/24. Forth Valley area commander, Superintendent Lynsey Kidd said tackling knife violence is a priority for local officers. She added: 'We recently launched an offensive weapon initiative across Forth Valley aimed at tackling and reducing the carrying of weapons, including knives. 'We acknowledge the impact that violent crime has on individuals, families, and local communities, and we remain resolute in our commitment to keeping our communities safe. This includes highly visible patrols across Stirling and Forth Valley, to prevent and detect issues and reassure the public. 'Recognising that the underlying factors are often complex in nature, we work closely with our national and local partners to draw on their collective expertise and resources to develop and deliver tailored responses to detect, deter and respond to such crime.' She added: 'As ever, we thank the public for their support and seek their help to hold offenders to account. If you have information, please contact us on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.' First Minister John Swinney — who this week convened a cross-party summit on youth violence — said: 'There is absolutely no justification for carrying any weapon, including knives, at anytime, anywhere — and we must be relentless in that message to young people. 'We must make sure we are doing everything possible to respond to the changing behaviours of young people at an early stage, while ensuring parents are aware of the help and support available. 'Challenging crime and anti-social behaviour is the responsibility of everyone which is why our approach to tackling violence among young people is focused on education programmes, on the unacceptability of violence, effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement. 'This will help show young people the dangers and consequences of violence, including carrying a weapon, and help prevent them from making decisions which could determine the rest of their life and devastate the lives of others.'
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP boosts Gaelic education in languages bill
SNP ministers have given parents across Scotland the right to demand a Gaelic school in their area, despite only about 1 per cent of the population speaking the language. Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, said parents anywhere in the country could make a request for a school where the curriculum is taught through the medium of Gaelic. Councils would be required to assess if the request was 'practical and affordable' under provisions contained in a new Scottish Languages Bill. After taking advice, ministers might direct local authorities to proceed with the new school if assessment deemed it to be viable. But Stephen Kerr, a Scottish Tory MSP, said the plan was 'a staggering misjudgement of priorities' and 'a blatant example of the SNP chasing ideological vanity projects'. Scotland's most recent census, conducted in 2022, found there were only 58,000 Gaelic speakers. This equates to 1.1 per cent of the population, with half living in the Western Isles. The last monolingual Gaelic speakers died about 50 years ago, but successive Labour and SNP-led Scottish governments have tried to encourage more children and adults to learn the language. Ms Forbes's announcement came after it emerged in April that the number of modern language teachers in Scotland has dropped by nearly a quarter since 2008, the year after the SNP came to power. Over this period, the number of French teachers has plummeted by 44.2 per cent, while the number teaching German has fallen by 63.3 per cent. There were 66 German teachers in all Scottish schools – a record low. Scotland has also fallen down international league tables for literacy, with pupils dropping behind their English counterparts in reading and writing. Unveiling the new plan at Inverness Gaelic Primary School, Ms Forbes said: 'This Bill aims to build a strong foundation to support Gaelic's continued growth following an encouraging increase in Gaelic speakers and learners across Scotland. 'It would boost Gaelic education provision throughout Scotland, and better establish Gaelic and Scots as national languages. 'Gaelic medium education enriches communities and offers good value for money. Gaelic medium schools frequently demonstrate above-average performance, with some local authorities showing better grades across all qualification levels despite costs being no greater than English medium schools.' The Bill will also introduce educational standards for Gaelic and Scots, establish them both as 'official languages' and support the 'creation of areas of linguistic significance in Gaelic communities'. But Mr Kerr was critical, saying: 'Scotland's education system is in a state of serious decline – standards in literacy and numeracy are falling, teachers are overstretched, and far too many pupils are being failed. 'Yet the SNP Government thinks the priority is to open Gaelic schools in areas where Gaelic isn't spoken as an everyday language. This is a staggering misjudgement of priorities. 'It's a blatant example of the SNP chasing ideological vanity projects instead of addressing the real problems facing Scotland's classrooms.' 'Dismal record on languages' Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary, said: 'This should not deflect SNP ministers from ignoring their dismal record on other languages, given they have presided over the loss of hundreds of modern language teachers. 'Together with their failure to eradicate the attainment gap, and an alarming rise in violence in our classrooms, these plans cannot neglect the urgent need to reverse the decline the SNP's policies have caused in Scotland's schools.' Bilingual signs have been erected in Scotland since the 1990s, after first being approved by Donald Dewar when he was Scottish secretary under Tony Blair, before becoming the first first minister following devolution.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reaction As Oilers Eliminate Stars Setting Up Cup-Final Rematch
Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs. After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions. Advertisement On tonight's show, Stephen Kerr, Michael Augello and Andrew McInnis react to the Edmonton Oilers eliminating the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final to return to the Stanley Cup final for the second-straight year. Share your thoughts in the comments, and the hosts may discuss your message during the stream. Check out the show right now. Promo image credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP spending on ‘woke' civil servants rises by nearly 50pc in two years
SNP ministers have been accused of focusing on woke 'identity politics' after the number of their civil servants working on equalities and human rights surged by almost 50 per cent in two years. Scottish Government figures released under Freedom of Information (FoI) showed the costs of its Equalities and Human Rights Directorate has risen sharply after a huge increase in staffing and salary levels. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants on the department's payroll rose from 105.6 in 2022/23 to 152.7 in 2024/25 – an increase of 44.6 per cent. The median average salaries surged by more than 70 per cent in only three years, from £28,236 in 2021/22 to £48,638 in 2024/25. This meant that the taxpayer-funded budget for the directorate also rose by more than 60 per cent, from £32.2 million in 2021/22 to £51.9 million in 2024/25. The period of the increase coincided with Nicola Sturgeon's government tabling the Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) Bill, which would have allowed biological men to change legal gender by simply signing a declaration. The legislation was passed at Holyrood in Dec 2022 but vetoed by the UK Government over concerns it undermined women's safe spaces. However, swathes of the public sector have adopted self-ID anyway. The huge increase in manpower also coincided with Ms Sturgeon offering an apology in March 2022 to women accused of witchcraft between the 16th and 18th centuries. 'Gravy train' Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tory MSP who obtained the figures, said: 'This is the SNP's warped priorities laid bare — while Scots are struggling with collapsing local services, spiralling waiting lists, and high taxes, the SNP is quietly pouring tens of millions into an unaccountable bureaucracy pushing identity politics from behind a desk.' He added: 'This is not about protecting rights or advancing equality - it's about empire-building, feather-bedding, and creating jobs for the boys and girls of the SNP's activist class. 'They're more interested in lecturing Scots on pronouns and power structures than delivering basic services. It's a gravy train, and it's off the rails.' The FoI said the directorate was responsible for the 'successful delivery' of the Scottish Government's aim of promoting 'greater equality and inclusion and respect for human rights.' Among its specific policy areas were promoting LGBT+ equality and trans and non-binary 'inclusion', and overseeing controversial proposals to ban conversion practices. Earlier this month SNP ministers kicked into the long grass a ban on conversion therapy, which aims to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or identity. The directorate's civil servants were also responsible for overseeing the Gender Representations Public Boards Scotland Act, which intended to increase the proportion of women serving on the boards. SNP ministers included trans women in this quota but feminist campaign group For Women Scotland launched legal action arguing it should be limited to biological women. This culminated in the group's landmark victory last month at the Supreme Court, which ruled that trans women are not women. The directorate has also worked on the development of a 'new statutory framework for human rights in Scotland' and implementing an action plan for the 'Gypsy / Traveller' community. Its other responsibilities included promoting race equality, implementing policies that tackle 'social isolation and loneliness' among the elderly and supporting delivery of a 'New Scots refugee integration strategy'. The figures disclosed that the number of FTE staff on the directorate's payroll increased slightly from 101.6 to 112.4 between 2021/22 and 2023/24, before jumping to 152.7 the following year.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To The Oilers' Dominant Win Over The Stars In Game 3
Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs. After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions. On tonight's show, Mike Augello, Adam Kierszenblat and Stephen Kerr react to the Edmonton Oilers beating the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 3 of the Western Conference final to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Share your thoughts in the comments, and the hosts may discuss your message during the stream. Check out the show right now. Promo image credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
