Cardiff Schools: 2/3 Weapon Searches Yield Dangerous Finds

0:00On April 24, nearly two-thirds of weapons searches at Cardiff Schools turned up something dangerous. Out of 19 searches from September 2025 to March 2026, 12 found weapons on pupils. That's data from a Freedom of Information request that has everyone talking. Cardiff Council wrote out handheld scanners to every school last September, giving staff the power to check kids they suspect. They stress it's done discreetly, with parents looped in right after. No comparable numbers from before, but safety is their top priority. Teachers union, NASA's WT calls it, Frightening. Even one weapon is one too many, and this shows schools might not feel safe anymore. Millie Mae Adams, a local medical student with street doctors, says it's an emergency. Kids carry blades thinking it protects them, but she knows from the streets it's not true. No one got permanently kicked out over these fines. Instead, Council set up multi-agency meetings within five school days, with daily welfare checks.

1:00They use a trauma-informed approach to get kids support and back in class when possible. This push for prevention and early help aims to keep school secure while steering young people straight. It's a wake-up call on the bigger knife issue hitting streets and classrooms across Wales.