Shocking haul of lethal weapons in Scots schools

Knives, firearms, chisels and hacksaw confiscated.

A terrifying arsenal of weapons is being seized from Scottish school pupils prompting fears playgrounds are turning into battlegrounds.

Knives, firearms, chisels and even a hacksaw have been confiscated from youngsters many still in primary school by shocked teachers over the past three years.

In one alarming incident a pupil arrived in class with a spoon sharpened to form a blade, while metal bars, a pool cue, a lit aerosol can and scissors have also been used as makeshift weapons.

New figures obtained by the Sunday Post reveal hundreds of youngsters have been expelled since 2010 for carrying offensive items or using them to attack and threaten fellow pupils and staff. The shocking revelations come just weeks after it emerged record numbers of schoolchildren are being treated for drug and alcohol problems in Scottish hospitals.

Politicians and campaign groups have expressed their concern.

Anti-knife campaigner John Muir, whose 34-year-old son Damien was stabbed to death in Greenock in 2007, said: “I am horrified and upset. This is an issue that not only needs serious questions answered; it is one that requires immediate action.”

Figures obtained from local authorities under freedom of information show at least 778 pupils have been caught with weapons since 2010 more than 200 of them in primary school. However the true figure is likely to be far higher as four councils, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Falkirk and Perth & Kinross, claimed they do not hold relevant data.

Blades including kitchen knives, dinner knives, pen knives and Stanley knives were the most common items seized, with police called on a number of occasions.

In Fife, where 26 youngsters were caught carrying weapons, knives were seized from three primary school pupils while a fourth took a hacksaw to class. Blades were also confiscated from children aged 12 or under in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Moray, Renfrewshire, West Lothian and the Western Isles.

In South Ayrshire, one primary pupil was caught with a piece of wood with drawing pins pushed through it, while Highland Council officials said a lit aerosol can and chisel were among the weapons used that had been seized.

Ball bearing guns were found on secondary school pupils and teachers took a firearm from one primary-age youngster in Renfrewshire.

Anti-gun campaigners have made repeated demands for low-powered air weapons to be banned.

Chrissie Hall of Gun Control Network said: “These guns are excellent replicas of real weapons. While they are cheap and can easily be bought with pocket money. They are not toys and can cause serious injury. They should be banned.”

Other items confiscated, or used to attack or threaten staff and fellow pupils, include pointed metal cutters, a hammer drill, a sgian dubh, a screwdriver, a shinty stick and a pool cue.

North Lanarkshire Council has expelled the highest number of children since 2010, with 140 youngsters found with weapons, while 111 pupils were sent home in South Lanarkshire.

John Lamont, the Scottish Conservative chief whip, said: “What is of extreme concern is the idea of pupils fashioning their own weapons from everyday implements.”

Officials at the Scottish Government insisted it was “totally unacceptable” to possess a weapon in school and said they are striving to tackle the problem.