Safer Communities

Violence and young people

On Thursday, 12 June, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland contributed to a session hosted by First Minister John Swinney MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Justice on the issue of violence and young people.

The session brought together broader ministerial and cross-party political representatives, and from the Coalition of Scottish Local Authorities, along with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence, third sector organisations and others.

We know that, over a period of many years Scotland has experienced less crime and continues to be a safe place to live and work.

We must better understand the changing nature of violence in relation to young people, including the role of social media, and work right across society to give young people safe spaces and, through prevention, reduce the profound harm that violence can have on individuals, families, and broader communities.

Under the leadership of Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland we have established a group, involving police, academics and other partners, to coordinate our response to the issue of young people and violence.

The group will share best practice, learning and deliver preventative initiatives which will impact on violence affecting our young people and help keep them and our wider communities safe.

There are strong examples of positive initiatives we are supporting, including:

Officers from our Edinburgh City division have been working with SKY on its unique SKY Up Academy initiative, which gives school age children the chance to produce and present engaging content about issues which affects them in an immersive experience.

The pupils have been able to learn about the dangers of alcohol abuse in an interactive, engaging setting and also highlight the links between alcohol, antisocial behaviour and violence.

On Saturday, 21 June 2025, we supported the launch of a new Scotland-wide campaign by Fearless, the youth service of the charity Crimestoppers, aimed at helping young people stay safe.

The campaign, which will run throughout the summer, is focused on encouraging them to make prosocial choices, violence prevention as well as highlighting the dangers associated with illegal off-road biking.

Enhanced community policing model

A key element of our vision to deliver safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce is the development of an enhanced community policing model.

We continue to develop that model and a team led by Chief Superintendent Phil Davison, and working closely with colleagues in Forth Valley (C) Division, is moving toward an initial implementation in Forth Valley in the coming months.

Resourcing, deployment and guidance decisions, are being progressed.

The model has been developed following a detailed review of local policing service delivery, including in-depth research in Forth Valley and Highland and Islands (N) Divisions, with over 1,000 interactions with officers and staff, members of the public and key local partners as part of the discovery phase.

The work is closely aligned with and complements the public protection development programme which seeks to deliver an improved and more consistent response to public protection cases, for example violence against women and girls, right across the country.

Engagement with key stakeholders is ongoing, including with the Authority during a development session in April, and with local councillors through the Regional Scrutiny Convener Forums in May. Further engagement and communication at local and national level will continue as we make progress toward the test period and beyond.

Internal governance has also been progressed and a full business case to resource the team to deliver initial implementation and through to national roll-out has been agreed and further agreement will be sought through Authority governance.

Enforcement, investigation and criminal justice outcomes

Operation Portaledge
Officers investigating a number of targeted attacks in the East and West of the country under Operation Portaledge have now made a total of 48 arrests.

A dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, with support from local divisions across the country, continue to carry out extensive enquiries to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.

These results are only possible with support from our colleagues at SPA Forensics and I again want to thank them for their support.

We are still working tirelessly to build cases and are following a number of significant lines of enquiry.

The support of our communities is essential when it comes to tackling serious organised crime, preventing violence and getting justice for victims. I want to thank the public for their assistance so far and encourage anyone else with information to come forward.

Spain shootings
A man has been arrested in Liverpool in connection with the murders of two men in Spain on 31 May.

The 44-year-old man from Merseyside appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday 14 June, and has been remanded in custody.

Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police following the fatal shootings in Fuengirola.

At this time, there is no evidence to suggest these deaths are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge or that the shooting was planned within Scotland.

Ewan Methven
A 27-year-old man was convicted of the murder of Phoenix Spencer-Horn in East Kilbride on Tuesday, 17 June. He also pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

On Monday, 18 November, 2024, the body of 21-year-old Phoenix was found within a flat on Glen Lee. Methven was subsequently arrested and charged in connection with her death.

My thoughts remain with Phoenix’s family and friends as they continue to try to come to terms with what happened. Violence such as this is never acceptable in our communities, and we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

Operation Buccal sentencing
Thirty-three year old Mark Keel has been sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years in prison for the murder of Maxine Clark in Glasgow.

On Thursday, 27 June, 2024, emergency services attended the home address of Maxine in Riddrie, but despite the efforts of emergency services she tragically died.

Maxine was a beloved mum and daughter. Her family miss her every day and they still feel her loss profoundly.

Mark Keel is a dangerous and violent individual and there is no doubt that women are safer now that he has been put behind bars.

We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls. I would like to assure anyone suffering at the hands of an abuser not to suffer in silence. We have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences, please report it. You can be assured that you will be fully supported by officers and our partner agencies.

Operation Location sentencing
Another man has also been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of Christopher McMahon in Lanark.

Twenty-nine year old Stephen Kelly pleaded guilty and was sentenced at the High Court in Kilmarnock on Wednesday, 28 May, 2025.

Christopher McMahon, who was 31, died after he was stabbed within a property in Braxfield Terrace in October in 2023.

Christopher’s family has been left devasted and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

Operation Birketts
On Thursday, 29 May, Owen Grant, 43, was sentenced to life, with a minimum prison term of 24 years.

The body of Keshia, 32, was found in her home in Elgin in November 2023.

Grant’s conviction followed a complex inquiry and I would like to thank the local community for their patience and assistance throughout our investigation.

Keshia’s murder was a deeply upsetting crime which deprived a family of a daughter and a mother and I offer my condolences to her family and loved ones.

Operation Montale
The body of a man found in a wooded area near Banknock on 6 June has been formally identified as 19-year-old Cole Cooper, who was reported missing in the area.

His death is being treated as unexplained and extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. At this time, there is no evidence of any third-party involvement.

Detectives are continuing to piece together Cole's last movements, with CCTV reviews and house-to-house enquiries continuing this weekend.

My thoughts remain with Cole's family and friends at this difficult time and we continue to offer them support.

Culpable and reckless conduct – sentencing of Lauren Baird
A 43-year-old woman who dragged two police officers along a Highland road with her car after she had been stopped was sentenced to 18 months in prison at the beginning of the month.

Lauren Baird admitted to culpable and reckless conduct to the danger of the officers' lives.

I utterly condemn this appalling behaviour and place on record my thanks and support for the officers involved.

The incident underlines the challenging, at times, dangerous situations to which police officers respond in order to keep people safe.

Drugs recoveries
We have removed more than £15million pounds worth of drugs from Scotland’s streets since the beginning of May.

Cocaine and cannabis were seized at addresses in towns and cities right across the country which highlights our ongoing dedication to tackling drug crime.

The most significant recovery was a cultivation worth an £7million following a search of a derelict property in Kirkcaldy on Wednesday, 18 June, where around 5,000 plants were discovered.

Controlled substances are dangerous and cause real harm to individuals, families and communities. They are illegal for that very reason. Working closely with our partners, we remain focused on targeting individuals and organised crime groups, who selfishly exploit vulnerable people solely for their own financial gain.
Results like these rely on the public, and anyone with information or concerns should contact local officers in their area.

Operation Armour
Throughout May, officers in the Community Action Team deployed across Aberdeen to tackle the dangerous use of e-bikes. The team worked with local and national colleagues including Operational Support Division's drone unit to conduct the successful operation. The month's activity resulted in 10 electric motorcycles, two petrol motorcycles and six e-scooters seized.

The proactive operation also saw 19 people charged with road traffic offences, 18 people charged in connection with drug offences, £20,000 worth of drugs recovered and £10,000 of cash seized.

This operation made a significant impact on road safety but also the anti-social behaviour and drug supply that can be associated with the use of e-bikes.

Proactive policing operations like this are at the heart of community policing. Our enhanced community policing model will enable officers to be out in their communities more to conduct these sort of operations to tackle local issues.

Policing of events

Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games will be a significant event in Glasgow in just over a year's time. We have a dedicated planning team in place to support the safe and secure delivery of the event. Our team is working closely with Commonwealth Games Glasgow and other key partners and we look forward to supporting the event next July.

Tall Ships Races planning
The Tall Ships Races will take place in Aberdeen between 19 and 22 July, 2025. The family friendly event is expected to attract thousands of visitors. Planning and preparation for the event is well under way and we have stood up a policing operation to support our partners at Aberdeen City Council and the Port of Aberdeen in delivering a safe and secure event.

To help ensure the safety and security of visitors, residents and communities across Aberdeen, we will run frequent and proactive policing deployments, working closely with event security and local businesses.

Mutual aid deployment
Earlier this month, I authorised the deployment of Police Scotland officers to support colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Close co-operation between UK police forces is essential and all forces benefit from receiving and providing mutual aid when it's required.

As the UK's second largest police service, it's important we continue to demonstrate our support and the desire for our officers highlights the professionalism, human rights based approach and standard of policing here in Scotland.

As always, I approved the deployment following careful consideration and it in no way affects Police Scotland's ability to meet the policing requirements of our communities.