Professor John Robertson OBA

In the National today:

AN increase in petty violence among Glasgow’s teenagers could lead to a rise in serious violent crime in the coming years if attitudes go unchecked, an expert has warned. The topic of youth violence has been in the headlines after the success of Netflix hit Adolescence, with creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne shining a light on the views and influences that can lead to serious violence. Research conducted by Glasgow LibDems revealed that 2790 violent incidents have taken place in schools within Glasgow in this academic year so far.

Neither the film nor the real-life petty violence behaviour of teenagers suggest any direct relationship with more serious crime later in life. This is imaginary. We do know that the tiny number of children who treat animals badly are predisposed to go on to do the same to human beings but all the evidence suggests that vast majority of teenagers involved in petty violence do not go on to commit more serious crimes of violence. We’d have thousands of murders, not less than 50, every year, if that were the case.

First, the claim that youth violence is increasing is based on a one-year small uptick after years of falling steadily. More below.

Second, with particular regard to schools the Lib Dem ‘researchers’ do not have any reliable evidence to suggest that as the youth violence trend actually plummets it is, strangely, increasing in schools.

The Facts the Glasgow Lib Dems won’t look at:

So, I accept that school violence persists and needs to be tackled but the scale and impact is massively inflated.

FACTS

Such was the level of violence in Scottish schools last April [2024] that the same two boys had to travel the country to represent it visually. Kind of makes you wonder why, in the age of mobile phone cameras of awesome quality, why BBC Scotland and Wales only have the same Getty image of two lads play wrestling.

Some facts, you won’t be hearing much today.

School violence: A classic example of seeking to stoke moral panic

School violence: A classic example of seeking to stoke moral panic

All forms of bullying in decline and students feel safer than in other nations

Scotland’s school violence fact check – All forms of bullying in decline and students feel safer than in other nations

Youth violence plummets across society yet increases in schools?

Youth violence plummets across society yet increases in schools?

More than FOUR times as many “fleeing rising classroom violence and falling standards in England’s schools”

More than FOUR times as many “fleeing rising classroom violence and falling standards in England’s schools”

Finally, if pupil violence is really surging wouldn’t more than one teacher complain?

If pupil violence is really surging wouldn’t more than one teacher complain?