Police were called to a Lanarkshire high school following reports a group of teenagers showed up at the school gates with weapons.
Lanarkshire Live understands police were alerted to St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School in East Kilbride at around 1.45pm on February 13 after a number of male youths, reportedly from another school, turned up looking for a pupil who attends the school.
Police confirmed they received a report of youths in possession of weapons, but after a search of the area “no criminality was established”.
Parents claimed that the “terrifying” incident led to pupils being locked indoors but South Lanarkshire Council denied this and said there had been “no violent incidents” at the school.
Anne Donaldson,interim executive director of Education Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “We have been made aware of social media rumours about incidents that have been connected to St Andrew’s and St Bride’s.
“The school has discussed these with Police Scotland and we will support any investigation into these matters.
“However, there have been no violent incidents within St Andrew’s and St Bride’s and we are fully committed to ensuring that the school environment remains safe, respectful and positive.”
However, one parent has claimed there has been an escalation in threatening behaviour and attacks in the school corridors.
Video footage seen by Lanarkshire Live, which is understood to have been filmed by a pupil at the school, appears to show a schoolgirl being attacked by another female pupil in a school corridor while other pupils laughed and filmed it.
A teacher is also seen struggling to intervene.
In response to the video, the council said it would be “inappropriate” to comment.
Our source said: “According to my daughter, fights going on in the school and teachers trying to split them up is a common occurrence.
“I strongly feel there’s a serious safety issue at that school and that they should have a campus police officer like the other secondary schools in East Kilbride do.
“I don’t think they’re being pro-active when it comes to preventing bullying and violence. The only way to do this is campus police.
“Is it going to take someone to get stabbed before anything is done about this?”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.45pm on Thursday, February 13 we received a report of youths in possession of weapons at a school in the East Kilbride area.
“Officers attended and a search of the area was carried out. No criminality was established.”
The escalating problem of teen violence in East Kilbride was highlighted in the Scottish Parliament last year.
A shocking filmed gang assault kickstarted online support group East Kilbride Victims of Teen Violence which called on authorities to do more to tackle the problem.
Sixteen-year-old Tanith Bavaird was subjected to a sickening assault by a gang of teen girls who tried to set her hair on fire outside Universal Connections.
Tanith and her mum Sharon Bavaird said they were inundated with threats since speaking out about the growing problem of youth violence in the town which left dozens of kids terrified to leave their own homes and attend school.
The town’s MSP Collette Stevenson MSP asked the cabinet secretary to outline the work that the Scottish Government is taking forward, alongside the police, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence and how their expertise can be used in towns such as East Kilbride where police data showed that there has been a significant rise in youth violence – reportedly 25 per cent.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance, shared Collette Stevenson’s concerns about youth crime at the time and made assurances that Police Scotland was investigating incidents in East Kilbride and had deployed additional patrols to reassure the community.
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