First Minister John Swinney has said he is open to a knife amnesty in Scotland following recent high-profile stabbing cases.
Mr Swinney signalled his backing for Justice Secretary Neil Gray, who said he would consider an amnesty after the murders of Kayden Moy, 16, and John McNab, 22, in Irvine and Edinburgh last year.
Knife amnesties allow individuals to safely and anonymously dispose of bladed weapons or offensive items without fear of prosecution for possession.
Scotland last had a knife amnesty in 2006, which saw more than 12,500 weapons, including machetes, swords and axes, handed in.
Asked if he was in favour of another amnesty, Mr Swinney said he was open to considering “all measures” to tackle knife crime.
The First Minister said he did not want families “to experience the type of heartbreak that the family of Kayden Moy have experienced very recently”.
He added: “We are always open to looking at what more we can do to tackle knife crime, because the recent tragedy of the Kayden Moy case, for example, which is a heartbreaking case, and I extend my sympathies to his family, is an illustration that we should always be finding more measures to take to tackle knife crime.
“What the Justice Secretary has suggested he is open to consider is exactly what the Government is prepared to do, to look at the possibilities of strengthening all of the measures that we take in tackling lifetime.”
Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government already had a range of measures in place to tackle knife crime, including information campaigns such as No Knives Better Lives, as well as “very severe penalties” for those involved in knife crime.
Two teenagers were found guilty last week of murdering 16-year-old Kayden on a beach in North Ayrshire in May 2025 while a third, 18-year-old Cole Turley, pleaded guilty to the murder before the trial started at the High Court in Glasgow.
Jay Stewart, 18, and a 15-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons acted together with Turley to kill Kayden after a clash between rival gangs.
Another teenager who murdered a man with a hunting knife while on bail for a previous slashing was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 17 years at the High Court in Dundee last week.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, chased and killed Mr McNab, 22, in an unprovoked attack on Great Junction Street in Leith in September last year.
Speaking on Sunday, Mr Gray, the Justice Secretary, raised the possibility of a knife amnesty, saying: “Of course, we would consider the likes of knife amnesties if that is something that the likes of the police and other partners feel would be helpful.”
He added: “The sale of knives to under-18s is already illegal and there are very strong laws in place to ensure that the sale of knives does not happen.
“With under-18s, I think the question around culture is one that I absolutely agree with and we must make sure that we’re doing all we can to prevent young people picking up a knife in the first place, involving themselves in gangs, and ensure that there is diversionary activity.
“That’s where our investments are absolutely targeted.”