Chamber and committees

Thank you very much. I call Ben Macpherson.

In the interests of time, I have to move on to the next theme.

It is timely to have the chance to speak in the debate, given the shocking behaviour that took place across our capital city over the weekend. On Sunday, riot police in Edinburgh spent bonfire night battling fireworks and petrol bombs—I stress the use of petrol bombs. Police Scotland said that its officers experienced an unprecedented level of violence as they tried to tackle the disorder. They were called to the Niddrie area of Edinburgh on Sunday evening, following reports of antisocial use of fireworks against residents. The riot police, which were part of operation Moonbeam, were then sent in to assist local officers. It is believed that around 50 people were involved in clashes with the police, who came under attack from

“fireworks, petrol bombs and other projectiles.”

The level of disturbance in Niddrie was unacceptable and, frankly, disgusting.

Only four weeks ago, in my column in the local paper, I wrote about the impact of the SNP’s budget cuts and how repeated cost cutting had slashed the number of front-line officers and was contributing to a rise in antisocial behaviour. The events of bonfire night demonstrate, once again, that a hardcore element is determined not only to challenge authority but to positively revel in making ordinary people feel uncomfortable in their own homes and communities. The riot in Niddrie was only the most visible and shocking flashpoint, but outbreaks of antisocial behaviour across the city have meant that police and fire services resources have been stretched to their limits, and they have come under attack across the wider region. With our police stretched to breaking point, the criminals knew that they could get away with it, frankly.

Earlier this week, my constituent Ian, who is a retired police officer, wrote to me to express his concern following the weekend’s events. He said:

“As I predicted, the new legislation is utterly toothless. Pushing down decision making (and blame) to local authorities to create exclusion zones is now proven not to work, especially when there is a greatly reduced police service. The 5th?of November is now seen as an opportunity to indulge in anarchy and the problem, in my opinion, will only get worse if left unchallenged or unchanged.”

I ask the minister to say in her closing remarks, if she can do so, what were the outcomes of the charges against the individuals who attacked our emergency workers. That is the problem. Petrol bombs were being thrown. I am sorry, but those are not covered in the fireworks legislation at all.

The same policeman told me how much time he had spent dealing with antisocial behaviour and that he considers a ban on fireworks to be a prerequisite. As he said, for some people, 5 November seems to be an excuse for creating mayhem. Giving the police the resources to deal with it would benefit us all year round, for we can all agree that, sadly, antisocial behaviour is not limited to this time of year.

On Friday, I met a father called Niko, who lives in Currie. He was at the end of his tether. His family has been targeted for more than a year by a group of four youths who, dressed in black with hoods up, regularly throw eggs, tins of beans and traffic cones at his possessions, his car and his home. I have seen the shocking videos of that happening. Niko and his family feel that they cannot relax at home. Now that the nights are darker, they will not use the living room at the front of their house or leave the light on, as that encourages those youths more.

The night before Niko came to see me, his local neighbourhood watch group met to discuss the incidents and whether there was anything that they could do. The father of one of the boys who is tormenting Niko’s family came along as well. The school, the police and the parents all feel that their hands are tied. The police are already involved and have been to the house of one of the boys many times. The father of that boy is at his wits’ end and does not feel as though there is anything that he can do about disciplining his son.

On Friday, I will meet the police in the south-west of Edinburgh and will raise that situation and many of the incidents that I have in my case load. Earlier this week, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, announced a new independent working group to tackle antisocial behaviour. We are already hearing of potential recommendations linked to the confiscation of, or curfews for, the bus passes for under-22s. However, one thing is clear: there is only one group of people who like a working group more than the SNP, and that is the criminals.

Who would like to come in first on that one?

Professor Stobart, do you want to speak?

Do any of the other panel members what to contribute to that? You are okay—fine. I was just checking.

I am interested in finding out what the panel think of, and whether they agree with, the OECD’s comment that the “role of knowledge” in CFE requires a bit more clarification. If so, in what way? How could the understanding of the role of knowledge be consistently understood when developing a curriculum at the local level?

I will bring in Professor Humes on that question, because he is sitting straight ahead of me.

Willie Rennie and Ross Greer want in on this topic. It has obviously piqued our attention.

Walter Humes and Gordon Stobart want to come in on this.