Knives have been returning to court buildings ever since Covid restrictions on the Scottish justice system were eased, a north-east MSP has warned.
Security officers resumed confiscating banned items when in-person court appearances restarted after virtual hearings during the height of the pandemic.
A total of 25 knives and 11 bladed or pointed objects have been recovered from people trying to enter sheriff courts in Aberdeen and Inverness this year.
Eleven were found in Aberdeen and 14 in Inverness.
Figures requested under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act reveal that, between 2021 and October of this year, 179 contraband items were seized from court buildings in the Granite City and Highland capital.
They included knives and bladed or pointed objects, syringes/needles, alcohol and drugs.
Publication of the FOI data comes after a sex offender slipped a knife passed Inverness Sheriff Court security and tried to slit his own throat in the dock on December 20.
‘Everyone should feel safe in courts’
The incident, which is being investigated by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), has sparked calls for security to be stepped up.
Law Society of Scotland President Murray Etherington said: “Solicitors and everyone else working and interacting with the justice system should feel safe in and around Scotland’s courts.
“We know that historically thousands of knives and other contraband items are seized from people entering courts every year, underlining the importance of robust security measures.”
No security at some courts
But despite the rise in contraband confiscations, SCTS has confirmed that its buildings in Banff and Peterhead were without any security this year, until at least October.
Banff Sheriff Court hasn’t been staffed by the SCTS’s mobile security team since 2018.
North-east Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden said: “It’s also concerning that important courts in the north-east seldom see a mobile security unit, meaning it’s almost impossible to tell whether there is an issue with contraband at these courts.”
Mr Lumsden added: “It is of utmost importance for the public to be kept safe, and north-east court staff are doing all they can to ensure that the highest levels of safety are maintained.
“However, these figures demonstrate the difficult task those in our courts encounter.
“Knives and drugs are a real danger to both the public and themselves.
“There is no excuse for bringing these items into court, which is why they are properly confiscated.
“Anybody that is found with a weapon will immediately be passed on to the police and face the same charges as any other person apprehended in a different location.”
‘We constantly review security issues’
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said that the safety and security of court buildings is an operational matter for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Services.
An SCTS spokesman said that the service takes the safety of all court users very seriously.
He added: “We constantly review security issues and share those outcomes with our justice partners, including Police Scotland, in order to take all reasonable precautions against weapons being introduced into court buildings.
“Security teams use a variety of measures to protect against potentially dangerous items being introduced into court buildings.
“Busier courts, including Aberdeen, have a permanent security presence while others benefit from the presence of the mobile security team which attends on a rotational basis.
“Any item which is considered to be a potential risk to public safety will be confiscated on entering a court building and the discovery of weapons or potential weapons is immediately reported to the police.”
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Horror as sex offender tries to slit his own throat in courtroom
