Police Scotland is putting prevention at the centre of efforts to protect children and young people from violence following a year in which three young people lost their lives in violent incidents.

The approach was highlighted during Scotland’s first national Violence Prevention Week, bringing together policing, community organisations and young people themselves to tackle violence before it happens.

Police Scotland established Operation Stardrop in 2025 to coordinate intelligence, research and data with partner organisations following serious incidents involving people under 18.

Recent research has also provided a troubling insight into how violence is viewed by young people themselves.

More than 600 young people contributed to The Way We See It, a report produced by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Police Scotland which found many children fear becoming victims of violence.

Police Scotland says those voices must form part of the response rather than allowing young people themselves to become stigmatised.

Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton, Police Scotland’s national lead for violence, said:

“Over the last year, we saw the lowest proportion of under 18s accused of violent crime since 2020 and 2021, which coincided with lockdown restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s crucial we don’t stigmatise our young people or build an atmosphere of fear.

“However, we have seen an increase in attempted murders involving 16 and 17 year olds and weapons recovered from young people, and that is of particular concern to me.

“In addition to the action we highlighted this week by police officers to safeguard Scotland’s children and young people from the devastating impacts of violence and weapon carrying, key to our national approach is also ensuring the voices of young people, families impacted by violence and the expertise of partners are considered in the development of our policy, practice and decision making.

“We know that policing cannot address this alone and a whole system approach is required.”

That prevention work is already taking different forms in communities across Scotland.

In Aberdeen, police worked with dance organisation City Moves to identify young people aged between 14 and 24 who had disengaged from education or employment and were considered at risk of being affected by violence.

Seventeen young people completed a four week dance programme earlier this year, with nine subsequently pursuing further education or becoming involved in other community dance activities.

In Ayrshire, violence prevention was incorporated into the annual Safer Shores operation, while officers and Fearless Scotland have been speaking directly with young people in Edinburgh about personal safety and weapons.

Scottish Violence Reduction Unit Head Jimmy Paul said:

“Listening to young people is essential to understanding the impact of violence and what we can do to prevent it.

“The experiences they shared with us as part of The Way We See It provide an important insight into how exposure to violence can affect how young people feel and experience their communities. We’re proud to support this campaign and help bring those voices into the conversation.”

The Scottish Government says more than £8 million has been invested in targeted violence prevention activity since 2023, including early intervention work in schools, hospitals and communities.

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said the work would continue alongside another three years of the Cashback for Communities Programme, which redirects money recovered from criminal assets towards communities and young people considered most at risk of entering the justice system.

The figures show there is reason for encouragement, with the proportion of under 18s accused of violent crime falling, but the increase in attempted murders involving 16 and 17 year olds and weapons recovered from young people provides a stark warning against complacency.

The principle behind the response is simple: reaching a young person before violence happens can be considerably more powerful than dealing with the consequences afterwards.