Latest news with #TimMairs
Edinburgh Reporter
21 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) launches 2025-2028 strategy
The Police Scotland-chaired Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) has launched its 2025-2028 strategy. This third iteration continues the work the multi-agency partnership has been doing over the last nine years to prevent, reduce and tackle rural crime across Scotland. The strategy was launched by SPARC partners at the Royal Highland Show on Thursday, 19 June, 2025, and sets out the key priorities for the next three years. Five rural crime priorities have been identified who each have a SPARC partner as their lead. These priorities are; rural machinery, tool, fuel and metal thefts; livestock crime; equine incidents; fly-tipping and heritage crime. The focus for the next three years also centres on crime prevention and education. In April 2025, 109 police officers received training on Vinchip stolen vehicle identification techniques and technology to prevent and tackle thefts of agricultural machinery and equipment from farms. Through further partnership working under SPARC, Police Scotland will shortly be training a further 12 officers as Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) accredited Stolen Vehicle examiners across Scotland to further enhance our capability to target and disrupt the theft of rural machinery. Crime prevention continues with partners through local PARCs (partnerships against rural crime) and raising awareness of the impact of rural crime. Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, SPARC Chair, Police Scotland, said: 'SPARC is a proven partnership that has been running for a number of years involving a range of organisations that operate within the rural community. 'Tackling rural crime is a priority for Police Scotland which is strengthened by the work of SPARC members. 'The five rural crime priorities are each led by the agency that is best placed to lead, supported by Police Scotland and the other partners. 'This strategy has crime prevention and education at its core and we know that crime prevention does work. Agricultural theft can have a significant financial loss but is also disruptive and disturbing to local communities and individual's livelihoods. 'Scotland has many diverse rural environments. We are committed to working together to protect our communities by deterring, disrupting and detecting criminal activity. I am confident this continued partnership will make a real impact with various preventative and enforcement activities. 'I want to reassure these communities that if they are affected, please report incidents to us. We will investigate to identify those responsible.' Like this: Like Related
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Daily Record
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- BBC News
Police Scotland chief appeals to young people not to carry knives
A police chief has urged young people not to carry knives, following the death of a teenager at the Moy, 16, from East Kilbride, died after a large disturbance on Irvine beach on Saturday evening. A 17-year-old boy has been charged with his was also a stabbing at Portobello beach in Edinburgh, resulting in a 16-year-old being charged with attempted Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said the incidents demonstrated the "tragic consequences" of carrying knives. He told BBC Scotland News: "The key message to children and young people is they shouldn't be carrying knives – it is absolutely the wrong thing to do."In a direct appeal to young people he said: "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 at the 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."ACC Mairs said the weekend's events clearly demonstrated the impact of carrying knives and how "one second of madness can bring so much sorrow to so many people".However, he emphasised that Scotland was still a very safe society and said public spaces, beaches and parks were still safe places for people to added that police would be patrolling these areas during the good weather. Three teenagers have died due to knife crime in Scotland over the space of a Mairs said that although the homicide rate was at its lowest in three years and in the past year there had been a 29% decrease in serious assaults, police were concerned about an increase in violence in said the force was working very closely with schools and campus police officers to understand why this was happening and to ensure schools were safe learning added that the carrying and use of knives and weapons by children and young people was also an increasing Scottish Violence Reduction Unit has said that younger people, aged 11-15, were now carrying Mairs 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."He added: "One death because of knife crime is unacceptable so forgetting trends, what happened over the weekend is tragic."
