Visitors take 7,000 ‘weapons’ to Holyrood

FOUR years ago, Holyrood confirmed £6.5million would be spent on a security extension to turn it into a ‘fortress’.

But it has emerged that since 2014 alone, nearly 7,000 potential weapons have been seized from visitors to the Scottish parliament.

Figures show security officers have removed 6,828 items – including knives, screwdrivers and scissors – during checks.

Most of the dangerous pieces were knives, with 5,832 blades found – 85 per cent of the total potential weapons – followed by 556 screwdrivers/corkscrews and 440 pairs of scissors, according to radio station LBC.

Kirkcaldy MSP David Torrance, who was assaulted by a member of the public in 2014 while out for a family meal, told LBC that while ‘it is surprising that it is so high’, he still felt safe in parliament.

He added: ‘For individuals to forget they’ve got a penknife or a pair of scissors or something like that on them, I would think would be quite a few. But when you look at the stats, it’s nearly 7,000 potential weapons that have been seized and removed from people and by security. That’s extremely high.

‘When you see the measures that have been put in place in the Scottish parliament, you know it has cost a lot of money, but you do feel safe in the building.

‘It’s all about being open and friendly and being able to enjoy the atmosphere in parliament, even if you’re a visitor coming to have a tour. You can see that security has been put in place and they take it really seriously.

‘The security in the parliament is absolutely fantastic. I’ve even had to take a visitor through by the front entrance, rather than using my pass. They’re great.

‘Everything is checked, everybody is checked, so they’re doing a great job.’

A Scottish parliament spokesman said: ‘For the safety of all, the parliament does not allow visitors to carry certain sharp objects such as penknives or scissors while they are in the building, even if it is perfectly legal to do so in public.

‘Our safety first approach is similar to that operated at Scottish and UK airports.’