Exclusive:'Irresponsible' cut to Scottish violence reduction unit revealed as knife crime in Edinburgh and Glasgow soars
Knife crime incidents have risen in both Edinburgh and Glasgow as the budget cut for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit was confirmed.
A budget cut to Scotland’s national centre of expertise on violence has been branded “dangerous and irresponsible” as ministers face growing calls for a crackdown on soaring levels of knife crime in the country’s two biggest cities.
The Scotsman can reveal the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is facing a 3 per cent budget cut, with grant funding from the Scottish Government’s Safer Communities pot meaning the centre’s funding will fall this year by £35,500.
The funding blow was confirmed in response to a Freedom of Information request, as figures showed the rate of knife crime incidents has risen sharply in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Crimes committed in Edinburgh in a public place with a knife surged by more than a quarter (29 per cent) over the past two years. The latest figures show 250 offences in 2024/25 - up from 203 in 2023/24 and 178 in 2022/23.
READ MORE: Demand for police to have stop and search powers extended to halt youth knife crime 'epidemic'
During the same period, figures for possession have dropped in the Scottish capital, which police sources say reflects a fall in pro-active stop and search due to a lack of frontline resources.
In the past year, Police Scotland recovered 900 weapons from stop and search, with more than a fifth - over 200 - recovered from people aged 17 or under.
Knife crime has also soared in in Glasgow year-on-year since 2022 - up 13 per cent from 446 in 2022 to 511 in 2024.
The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit received £1,170,500 for each of the past two financial years, but has been allocated just £1,135,000 for 2025/26.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay warned the budget cut for the pioneering unit would lead to more violence on Scotland’s streets.
“It is dangerously irresponsible for John Swinney’s Government to cut funding for this critical anti-violence service at a time when youth violence is rising, and many young Scots are living in fear,” Mr Findlay said.
“SNP ministers have relentlessly undermined Scotland’s justice system by eroding the principle of punishment as a deterrence in the twisted belief that criminals are victims. The inevitable consequence of this reckless SNP cut will be more violence on Scotland’s streets.”
The figures have been confirmed just days after the First Minster was quizzed by opposition leaders on what action the Scottish Government was taking to tackle youth violence following a spate of tragic incidents, one of which saw 16-year-old Kayden Moy killed.
Mr Swinney said his Government was committed to a “three-step approach” to tackling the crisis – early intervention, education and effective punishment.
He defended the SNP’s record on tackling crime, saying assaults with a knife had fallen since 2009 because of initiatives such as the “world renowned” Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU).
But police sources said the SVRU budget cut “will have a significant impact on prevention at a time when it’s badly needed”.
According to the latest Police Scotland data, non-sexual crimes of violence recorded by the police fell by 2 per cent, from 71,900 in the year ending December 2023 to 70,637 in year ending December 2024.
However, knife crimes figures in Scotland’s major cities point to a stark increase.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, warned that existing stop-and-search powers were insufficient to combat knife crime committed by young people.
It is understood the force has written to the Government asking for an additional £1 million in funding to tackle violent crime ‘hot-spots’, including north Edinburgh.
SVRU launched a prevention initiative in the north of the city last month, which involves mentors with experience of violent crime and gangs working with young people. The 3 per cent cut could put similar projects at risk, sources said.
Jimmy Paul, head of the SVRU, said: “Scotland has seen dramatic reductions in violence in the last two decades, but we know every life lost to violence is a tragedy and we know there is still a lot of work to do.
“We know that key to preventing violence involving young people is effective early intervention and that is why, being faced with a cut to funding, we will do even more to pull resources across partners and organisations to target our work, seeking to create positive change in the lives of young people, their families and in communities.
“That being said, any additional investment could help fund doing more of what we know works - for example, it would cover the costs of a mentor in a school for a year or help develop new educational resources.
“But we are facing serious challenges. Crucial to tackling the challenges that lie ahead will be radical collaboration of all services - reducing violence isn’t just the job of the police. We all have a role in this. Working with partners across Scotland and alongside communities is essential.
“Young people have led the way in making Scotland a safer country and we must not put that progress at risk.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is a part of the Scottish Government’s broader package to tackle violence, which we have funded by more than £6m over the past three years.
“Over 2025/26, we are providing increased funding of £345,000 to support Medics Against Violence to deliver a range of activities, including the Hospital Navigator programme, and a further £156,000 for the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme. We are also providing record funding to the police this year investing £1.64 billion - an increase of almost £90m.”