BLITZ ON SPIKE IN YOUTH CRIME URGED

SNP ministers have been challenged to give Police Scotland the tools to fight youth violence as the party tried to evade responsibility for the "epidemic" of disorder.

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The Scottish Conservatives have called on them to extend stop-andsearch powers as they urged First Minister John Swinney to abandon his "weak and reckless" approach to tackling youth crime.

It comes in the wake of the death of Kayden Moy, 16, from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, who died in an incident on Irvine Beach, Ayrshire, last week.

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested and charged with his murder.

Other victims of youth violence include Kory McCrimmon, 16, who died in Glasgow last May, and alleg-edly Amen Teklay, 15, who was killed in Glasgow in March.

Officers currently need to have reasonable grounds to stop and search someone, but last week David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said that existing powers are insufficient to combat knife crime and police should be able to stop and search anyone.

Mr Findlay said: “Decisive and prompt action must be taken to stop the growing epidemic of youth violence, especially involving knives.

“Stop-and-search powers need to be extended immediately while a fundamental rethink is required of the SNP’s weak approach which fails victims and fuels violence.

“John Swinney should listen to frontline officers who know how to get this crisis under control and prevent more young lives being needlessly lost.

“Tougher stop and search powers would help police to prevent violence, protect young people and keep the public safe. These powers are merited because this is a matter of life or death.