'Concerning increase' in number of attempted murders by children

Under 18's were involved in almost a quarter of attempted murders at the start of this year

A report has highlighted a "concerning increase" in the number of attempted murders carried out by children in Scotland.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) paper said there were 17 attempted murders involving 20 children in the three months between April and June this year.

It means children were involved in almost a quarter of all attempted murders where a suspect was identified, with cases in nine separate divisions of Police Scotland.

But the report found that the overall level of violence involving children had fallen compared to last year.

David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, told the justice and home affairs magazine 1919 this was a "real issue".

He added there could be a number of factors behind the rise, with "one being the lack of deterrent".

Mr Threadgold said: "There is no question adults are identifying young, vulnerable people and getting them to carry out crime.

"It's a fertile ground for criminals to operate in and policing needs more resources to tackle it.

"Bladed articles, striking with motor vehicles, and the use of flammable materials" were all used in the attempted murders involving children this year."

He said there had also been an increase in crimes involving adults as co-accused.

The report only covers a three-month period and is not indicative of the year as a whole.

Kayden Moy, 16 was killed during a disturbance in Ayrshire

A number of teenagers have been arrested as part of Operation Portaledge - an investigation into a gangland feud that has led to assaults, shootings and fire bombings across the east and west of Scotland.

The report confirms that from April to June 2024, there were five attempted murders involving a suspect under the age of 18.

But during the first quarter of 2025 there were two murders recorded that involved four accused under the age of 18.

These were the death's of Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy.

Amen Teklay was allegedly killed in Glasgow in March. Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have denied his murder.

Meanwhile, in May, 16-year-old Kayden Moy died following a disturbance in Ayrshire.

Two 17-year-olds and a 14-year-old have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

The same period last year saw three crimes with three accused under 18.

There was also a decrease in the number of children accused of weapons offences during the period, with 436 offences recorded compared to 475 in the first quarter of 2024.

The majority (57.3%) related to use of a weapon during another crime while the rest were for possession.

The report also identified 52 weapons offences in schools between April and June 2025, up from 43 over the same period last year.

Of these crimes, 11 took place in primary schools.

Amen Teklay died after being found injured in a Glasgow street

Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservatives' education spokesman, told 1919 it was "hugely worrying to see a sharp rise in young people willing to escalate violence to this extent".

The MSP described the situation as "incredibly serious" and added: "It's time the Scottish government woke up to an epidemic of violence in our classrooms and on our streets."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "Whilst overall youth violence has been decreasing, that is of no comfort to victims, which is why we continue to tackle youth violence through education programmes, effective consequences for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people."

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: "It's important that people know Scotland remains a safe place to live and work with violent crime at very low levels.

"The majority of young people will never involve themselves in violent crime, with fewer than one in five violent crimes involving an accused person under the age of 18."

He added overall, serious crime involving children and young people had reduced.

Last year there were 55 serious assaults involving an under-18 compared to 93 for the previous 12 months.