Crimestoppers launch campaign to fight youth violence in Scotland

Fearless.org, the youth service of charity Crimestoppers, is targeting young people across the country with its Silence Won't Stop Violence campaign to encourage them to speak up about violence and weapon possession. 

As well as raising awareness, the campaign offers young people a way to report information or suspicions with complete anonymity, meaning no personal details are ever taken from those contacting the charity. 

Following the murder of teenager Justin McLaughlin in October last year, the charity has also been working closely with Campus Officers across Glasgow to ensure young people across the City are aware of how they can speak up about crime.

Justin died after he was stabbed at Glasgow's High Street station on October 16, 2021, just two days after he turned 14. 

We previously reported a 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged in connection with the alleged incident. 

Funded by The Percy Hoskins Trust, the campaign also features individuals talking about their own first-hand experiences of the pain and destruction violence has through a series of short podcasts which will be available to all secondary schools in Scotland. 

One podcast hears from Donald, the co-founder of and mentor at charity Aid & Abet, who speaks openly about his personal experience of the criminal justice system and how he turned his life about. 

Speaking of the campaign, he said: "I wish people had used it to report me… it could have had me turning my life around quicker."

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Donald now supports young people who have found themselves caught up in the justice system through Edinburgh Police's VOW Project. 

His story will be used alongside the charity's first violence podcast, produced last year, which hears from a mum whose son died after being stabbed to death in 2013.

As a result of last year's campaign, there was a significant rise in information from young people across Scotland and a huge boost to young people checking out the crime information pages at Fearless.org.

The youth charity is also promoting its message on Snapchat and TikTok so young people can learn from other's experiences and be encouraged to speak up.

Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, Police Scotland’s Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow, said: "The overwhelming majority of Scotland’s young people do not carry weapons.

"For those who do, their motivations are complex and multifaceted and our primary objective is to remove any weapons from their possession to protect them from harm.

"Access to knives is easier than other weapons and this reduces barriers to possession which policing cannot solve in isolation.

"Legislation is making it more challenging for anyone under the age of 18 to obtain bladed instruments from commercial suppliers but the support of parents and guardians in preventing access to knives in a domestic setting would certainly help the collective effort to safeguard our young people from the dangers associated with weapons carrying."

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You can find out more about Silence Won't Stop Violence and listen to podcast episodes for the campaign HERE.