Worried About Violence in Your Community?

We know that some young people in Scotland are worried about violence in their communities.

Over the last year, policing has focused on learning from data, insight and best practice from partners alongside lived and living experiences from children and young people to understand what we need to do to take a prevention-first approach to reducing violence. We know you care about this, too.

In our recent Truth About Youth Report, four in five young people said violence is having a major impact in their lives today and only 35% feel safe at school, college or university. Not only this but the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Police Scotland recently published The Way We See It report, following interviews with over 600 of Scotland’s young people, which revealed that many children are fearful of becoming victims of violence.

You can play a part in making your community safer and better

Don’t carry a weapon – If you are worried, talk to some you trust like a parent or guardian, youth worker, teacher, social worker or police officer.
Reach out for help – If someone is pressuring you to do something you don’t want to do its okay to ask for help. Remember, you will be listened to.
Contact Fearless – If you are worried about your pals or someone you know, Fearless is there to support.

It’s never okay to film violence for the likes

Grabbing your phone just as you see an argument getting heated or a fight breaking out can be tempting but don’t record violence just to post on social media. Young people have told us that these videos, often involving people they know or others of a similar age, are shared in WhatsApp group chats and posted across social media platforms, escalating situations in school and prolonging the impact and harm experienced by those affected.

If you’re in a situation and you feel unsafe, walk away if you can – don’t stop to film. If you need to contact the police the quickest way is by calling 999. It’s important to remember that 999 should only be used for emergencies such as if someone is injured and their life is at risk or you’ve witnessed an ongoing incident or a crime in progress, especially if it’s putting the lives of others at risk.

If you see violent content on social media you should report it. It’s easy to report content on most social media sites – find out how here. Remember, reporting content on social media is anonymous. That means the person who has posted the clip will only be told their content has been reported, but not by whom.