A Dundee politician has called for councils to release more information on knife incidents in schools, saying it could tackle a rise in knife crime in the city.
North-East MSP Bill Bowman said greater transparency over knife incidents in schools could help tackle the issue in wider society.
While national figures are released showing how many knife incidents result in exclusions, the Scottish Conservative MSP says local figures could cause rising knife crime in Dundee to be “nipped in the bud”.
Last year’s third-quarter Police Scotland report for Dundee found a 220% increase in offensive and bladed weapons crimes across the city.
Dundee City Council said it does monitor incidents of knives in schools and compiled a report last year detailing how to tackle the issue. There were four incidents involving weapons last year.
But Mr Bowman said reporting how many of these led to exclusions and what type of weapon was used is important.
The Courier revealed last week the number of secondary school exclusions in Dundee has fallen in recent years but the city still has one of the highest rates in Scotland.
Mr Bowman said: “The recent increase in the city’s adult knife crime belies problems that begin far earlier than adulthood.
“Although the school exclusion rate is improving, it is significantly above the Scottish average. We need to know why this is, so knife problems can be nipped in the bud.
“Dundee City Council publishes how many weapons it finds in schools, but we need to know how many exclusions – and indeed expulsions – this leads to.
“The public should be reassured as to how seriously the council is treating knives in formative years, which is why I have contacted the chief executive.”
Scottish-wide data for 2016/17 showed there were 319 instances of a pupil being excluded for using a weapon, including knives, to assault another pupil or member of staff, and a further 450 incidents involving improvised weapons.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We have taken considerable action following the report on the death of Bailey Gwynne, including publishing new guidance on managing incidents involving weapons in schools.
“The recording of possession of weapons in schools will support efforts to make Scotland’s schools safer and all 32 local authorities have confirmed that their local policies on managing such incidents either have been, or are in, the process of being updated.
“Furthermore, all local authorities have also confirmed they are implementing or revising how they monitor and record incidents involving weapons in schools.
“We are continuing to work with schools and local authorities on tackling violence through a range of measures to build on the progress already made.”
Dundee City Council children and families service convener, SNP councillor, Gregor Murray, said: “The council takes the safety of pupils and staff extremely seriously and we operate a strict policy in our schools over knives.
“When any pupil is found with a knife, police will be called in to deal with the situation. Every incident is recorded and appropriate action is taken. We will be responding directly to the MSP about this matter.”
