THIRD OF YOUNG SCOTS 'CARRY WEAPONS'

Educationists Surprised By Findings And Deny Violence Problems In Schools

Around a third of 11- to 16-year-old boys and 8% of girls in Scotland have
carried weapons ranging from flick knives to replica pistols and
knuckle-dusters, according to a survey carried out in schools.

The study, published in this week's British Medical Journal, found that
those who used drugs were more likely to carry weapons. Boys tended to be
more heavily armed the more drugs they used, the researchers from Glasgow
University say.

Researchers point out that the survey was carried out by questionnaire, so
there will have been under-reporting by some young people and
over-reporting by others. They also note that their 3,000 subjects were
asked only if they had ever carried a weapon - not if they carried one all
the time.

None the less, the results "must give cause for concern", say Neil
McKeganey from the Centre for Drug Misuse Research and John Norrie of the
Robertson Centre for Biostatistics. "Whatever the reasons, having a weapon
potentially increases the risk of harm.

"It is possible that a proportion of young people in Scotland who use
illegal drugs will become involved in violence, and some of these may carry
weapons."

But the report was greeted with a degree of perplexity yesterday by
educationists and youth workers. Ray Murphy, education officer for north
Lanarkshire where much of the research was carried out, said he would note
the findings, but he did not believe there was any great problem with
offensive weapons in schools.

"It implies we are going down the American road and we could not be further
from going down the American road," he said. "Offensive weapons are really
not a problem and I have never heard of an incident where they have been
connected with drugs."

Even in schools in the most deprived areas, Mr Murphy said, it would be
extremely unusual for a school to have more than one incident involving a
weapon in a year, and that weapon would almost never be more than a stick.

The researchers call for organisers of events for young people to be aware
that they might be armed and take steps to reduce the likelihood. They
argue that national information and awareness campaigns are needed to warn
young people and their parents of the dangers of carrying weapons.

And they suggest that home secretary Jack Straw's call to adults to exert
their authority and make young people who are misbehaving toe the line may
be a poor idea. "We suggest the need for caution as some young people may
be carrying an offensive weapon," they write.

The study was carried out at 20 schools in central Scotland, Lanarkshire,
Perth and Kinross. Some 3,121 students in classes selected at random in
each school and school year completed a questionnaire under examination
conditions, answering on their use of drugs, carrying weapons, social
activities and family circumstances.

Researchers found that 34.1% of boys and 8.6% of girls had carried weapons.
The proportions increased with age and drug taking. Nearly two thirds of
boys (63.5%) who took drugs had carried a weapon. Nearly all of those (92%)
who used five illegal drugs carried a weapon and over half of them carried
two. The weapons named were knives of many varieties - flick, switch,
Stanley, craft, and hunting - as well as machetes, swords, razors, air
rifles, pistols, replica guns, clubs, metal pipes, baseball bats, snooker
cues, screwdrivers, hammers, catapults and knuckle-dusters.

The west of Scotland has long had an association with weapon carrying and
gang fighting, write the researchers. "The culture of weapon carrying among
young people seems to be continuing although it is not confined to any one
city. It is far from clear why a substantial proportion of young people in
Scotland feel the need to carry a weapon and this needs further investigation."