Knives, needles and drugs are among the items confiscated by security staff at court buildings in Aberdeen and Inverness.
New figures reveal dozens of knives have been seized from members of the public entering sheriff courts in Aberdeen and Inverness so far this year.
While cans and bottles of alcohol are a common sight outside the entrances of court buildings, staff inside have also had to confiscate more than 80 alcoholic drinks between April and August this year.
Needles/syringes, tools and other “miscellaneous” items have also been detected by diligent security personnel as they work hard to ensure the safety of everyone at court.
Freedom of information stats reveal that, between April and August this year at Inverness Justice Centre, 21 knives were seized along with a further 17 “bladed/pointed articles”.
The same stats for the previous financial year, April 2022 to March 2023, show 47 knives and 56 bladed/pointed articles detected.
In just the first five months of this financial year, 73 alcoholic drinks were confiscated at Inverness – equalling the total from the entire 12 months prior.
Meanwhile, drugs were seized on 26 occasions in April to August this year, already approaching the total of 35 occasions from April 2022 to March 2023.
‘Discovery of any weapon is immediately reported to police’
Needles/syringes were seized 19 times this year (29 in 2022/23), tools 27 times (55 last year), and other miscellaneous items 41 times (45 last year).
Figures for the same period at Aberdeen Sheriff Court reveal lower numbers.
Some 15 knives have already been seized this year, matching the total for the full year of April 2022 to March 2023.
A blades/pointed article was confiscated just once, as opposed to six times last year.
No drugs have been confiscated at all, as was the case the previous year, however alcohol has been seized 11 times this year and 33 last year.
A needle/syringe was seized once, 50% of the 2022/23 total, and tools were taken seven times, compared to 21 times in 2022/23.
Miscellaneous items were seized 27 times between April and August, and 56 times in the full 2022/23 year.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said: “The SCTS takes the safety of all court users very seriously.
‘Security teams use a variety of measures’
“These are public buildings and we work closely with partners, including the police, to take all reasonable precautions against prohibited items being introduced into court buildings.
“Any item which is considered to be prohibited or a potential risk to public safety could be confiscated on entering a court building.
“The discovery of any weapon or potential weapon by staff is immediately reported to the police.
“Police officers are deployed in courts across Scotland and carry out a number of duties. The objective of police deployment within courts is to provide public reassurance, maintain public order and prevent intimidation.
“Security teams use a variety of measures to protect against potentially dangerous items being introduced into court buildings.
“Busier courts have a permanent security presence while others benefit from the presence of the mobile security team which attends on a rotational basis.
“Many recorded confiscations are domestic items or work tools which people bring to court but are inappropriate to take into a courtroom.”
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