Edinburgh crime: Youths in balaclavas threatening people in Leith with axes and knives 'think they are above the law'

Ben Macpherson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern & Leith, said he feared crime and anti-social behaviour was on the increase and was now a "very serious" problem in the Capital.

He outlined a catalogue of incidents in his constituency and welcomed the fact that First Minister John Swinney is to host a cross-party youth violence summit next week, on Monday 13 January.

Crime and anti-social behaviour is a ‘very serious’ problem in Edinburgh, says MP Ben Macpherson

And he urged the Scottish Government to "use its legal powers, backed up with necessary resources, to support Police Scotland officers, other statutory services and youth workers and to focus efforts across agencies to tackle youth crime and antisocial behaviour".

Mr Macpherson raised the issue as a topical question in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

He told fellow MSPs: "Last year In my constituency, I received correspondence about many very concerning instances of youth crime and antisocial behaviour, including people being threatened with weapons such as axes and knives; theft and robbery; unprovoked and sometimes very harmful assaults on other young people or passers-by; harassment of women, girls and vulnerable people; and dangerous driving of motorbikes, e-bikes, pushbikes and scooters, with people clipping pedestrians, stealing phones and generally causing alarm to pedestrians and drivers.

"All those things are usually done by people who are wearing menacing balaclavas and have a sense of being above the law."

He said it was a very small minority of Scotland’s young people who engaged in such criminality

"But I worry that the problem is growing and is now very serious in Edinburgh. It is increasing in frequency and the severity of violence is worsening.

"In recent months, I have received, almost weekly, very worrying correspondence from the communities that I serve.

"For example, in December, a mother and daughter were reportedly attacked by a gang in Leith and, just before Christmas, a boy was stabbed by a gang of youths elsewhere in Edinburgh. The issues around bonfire night are well known."

"A trend is emerging in Edinburgh and, unfortunately, it is happening elsewhere in Scotland, too."

Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown said she had been "appalled" to learn of the recent criminal incidents in Mr Macpherson’s constituency and the incidents he had described were "totally unacceptable".

She said police were actively investigating to identify those responsible and there needed to be a "relentless focus to tackle any rise in violence".

"Addressing the root causes of crime, undertaking effective preventive and diversionary activity and ensuring appropriate enforcement are critical to safeguarding our communities.

"The Scottish Government remains committed to preventing children from getting involved in offending behaviour and to taking action to stop any reoffending where they do get involved."

She said the work of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit had been expended and knife crime prevention education was taking place across Scotland.

She continued: "I know that this is cold comfort to victims, but recorded crime is down 40 per cent since 2006-07. As of 4 November, Police Scotland reached officer numbers of 16,600, with further intakes planned throughout this year. In 2025-26, we will increase police funding to £1.62 billion."

And she agreed to discuss with Mr Macpherson the idea of following up next week's summit with a meeting at the government's Victoria Quay offices in Leith to discuss the situation and how it could be tackled.