Watch a recent BBC Scotland Sunday Show which discussed the rise in knife crime, youth violence and antisocial behaviour. On the show, Tim Frew, CEO YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work and Angela Constance, Scotland’s Justice Secretary.
This weekend’s BBC Scotland Sunday Show discussed the rise in knife crime, youth violence and antisocial behaviour. On the show, Tim Frew, CEO YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work and Angela Constance, Scotland’s Justice Secretary.
On the issue of youth violence, Angela Constance acknowledged that while Scotland has made real progress over the last decade, some of that ground is now at risk. At YouthLink Scotland, we agree that it’s time for serious reflection, and constructive action.
We know the roots of these problems run deep. Poverty, social inequality, and digital harms all play a role. But so too does the erosion of the support structures that help keep young people safe and connected. Over the last eight years, local authority youth work has lost half its paid workforce and nearly 80% of its volunteers. The need for youth work is growing, yet access to it is shrinking.
As the Justice Secretary said, youth work is a vital part of the solution. It gives young people safe spaces, trusted adults, and the chance to feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Initiatives like No Knives, Better Lives and Imagine a Man which have been supported by the Scottish Government, show how early intervention and relationship-based practice can prevent violence before it starts.
The Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour (2025) clearly identifies poverty, inequality, and the erosion of youth services as key drivers of antisocial behaviour in Scotland.
Evidence from the youth work sector, including YouthLink Scotland, shows that positive relationships, trusted adults, and safe community spaces are far more effective at tackling the root causes of such behaviour.
If we take the example of a Glasgow partnership, bringing together Police, School and Youth Work, PEEK delivered an intervention project with Govan High School for young people who were not engaging with the school and were already known to Police Scotland.
By the end of the project, police interventions with young people were down by 82%, school ‘demerits’ were down 75% and increase in afterschool clubs increased by 55%.
It’s important that we must avoid panic and resist oversimplifying complex problems. Youth work, alongside families, schools, and communities, can help address the root causes of youth violence, not just the symptoms.
YouthLink Scotland, working with the youth work sector, are keen to continue to work with partners such as Violence Reduction Unit supported by the Scottish Government, and to open up a wider conversation about what’s needed next with the First Minister and the Justice Secretary.
Watch the full discussion on The Sunday Show:
BBC iPlayer – The Sunday Show (25 May 2025)