Rise in number of children caught with weapons in school

THE number of children being caught with weapons at school is increasing and some are so young, they cannot be prosecuted, a Welsh police force has said.

Last year, South Wales Police were called to schools to deal with a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old each found with a knife, and an eight-year-old caught with a nail file. They were all under the age of criminal responsibilty.

Details of the three cases in South Wales were revealed following a Freedom of Information request from the Press Association asking about the number of weaponrelated incidents in schools across England and Wales.

Other weapons being carried by schoolchildren included a knuckle duster, a hammer, a baseball bat and scissors, according to the South Wales Police data.

Figures from 29 police forces have shown violent behaviour has jumped by about 30% in the past two years, with some suspects below the age of 10 - the age of criminal responsibility.

Last year, 49 children avoided prosecution due to their age. One of the youngest, a four-year-old child, was caught at school in possession of an unnamed weapon by Dyfed Powys Police.

The authorities need to work together to ensure children are safe while at school, the Welsh Government said in response to the data.

A spokesman said: “There is a duty on local authorities and schools to ensure that schools are a safe environment for all. If at any point the environment within a school becomes unsafe, the school should ensure that the relevant authorities are informed so that appropriate support can be made available.”

Meanwhile, school leaders said the figures were “grim but unsurprising”, reflecting an issue in society as a whole that schools cannot solve alone.

The police data showed there were 1,072 incidents in the last financial year, up from 831 in the previous 12 months. Between April and August 2019, there were a further 311 incidents.

Over the last 17 months, police seized scores of knives, blades and other sharp instruments, while a 14-year-old was caught in possession of a sword by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for children and young people, said that although incidents are rare, forces are seeing a small number of offences on school premises involving weapons.

“Serious violence is a growing problem amongst young people and we continue to work closely with partners to address this,” she said.

“Police involvement in schools, whether it be officers delivering talks and interactive sessions or based in schools themselves as part of the Safer Schools Partnership, helps us to educate young people and explain why carrying a weapon is never the right choice.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, argued that cuts to policing and local support services are fuelling problems with weapons in society.

He said: “These figures are grim but unsurprising and reflect a growing problem over the prevalence of weapons in wider society.”

He added: “The scourge of weapons has grown worse in recent years, and while there are a number of complex factors involved, a key issue has been cuts in policing and local support services for vulnerable families.

“Gangs have filled this vacuum and often pressure and groom young people into dealing drugs and carrying weapons. Schools are doing their best to tackle these problems, but they cannot possibly solve this issue on their own. They need more back-up in the form of wellresourced community support services and more investment in policing.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said society needs to be clear about what it is reasonable to expect of schools in terms of preventing serious violence.

“For schools, it’s about education and safety,” he said.

“A wider remit than that would be ineffective because the issues that underpin violent and antisocial behaviour extend far beyond the school gates. The biggest barrier to keeping young people safe is not a lack of action from schools, it is a lack of funding for essential public services. Schools already work in partnership with the police and local authorities to prevent pupils from coming to harm and to ensure they don’t cause harm to others. The problem for everyone concerned is that they are all underresourced and over-stretched.”

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “Knife crime remains rare for the vast majority of communities in South Wales, but this does not mean we are complacent about the issue.

“Our officers and PCSOs go out and talk to thousands of young people every year, and we would encourage everyone in turn to talk to young people in their families and be absolutely clear that carrying a knife only increases your risk of being involved in violence and getting hurt.

“Most people can go about their lives without being affected by knife crime.

“We don’t want people, and in particular young people, to be so concerned that there is something to fear that they make the wrong choice of picking up a knife.”

These figures are grim but unsurprising...