Scottish Tory leader on classroom violence, seagull menace and why public won’t back Reform as party leaders visit Aberdeen

What is the key to tackling anti-social behaviour in Aberdeen city centre and violence in schools?

And is passing on the power to oversee how seagulls are dealt with to the local authority – and Holyrood – the solution to the north-east’s costly  gull menace?

Less than a fortnight away from the Scottish Parliament elections, party leaders descended on the Granite City as they strive to win voters’ favour.

They had come up on Thursday evening for the  BBC’s Question Time programme in Aberdeen to face residents’ burning questions on a range of local issues.

They answered queries on funding for local authorities, the future of the energy sector, independence and how they plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

A few of the party leaders decided to take this further and stick around in the city for another day to boost their campaigns.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton visited Port of Aberdeen as part of his campaign trail with candidates Yi-Pei Chou Turvey and Michael Turvey.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar used his trip to Aberdeen as an opportunity to highlight their cost-of-living pledges to potential local voters.

Meanwhile, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay was joined by candidate Tracey Smith in Angus to discuss the future of controversial pylons projects across the area.

But before he was whisked off to the countryside, The Press and Journal sat down with Mr Findlay to get answers on how he would deal with some of the most pressing issues on our readers’ minds  – all coming from our in-depth survey of local concerns.

How would Scottish Tories tackle school violence in Aberdeen?

Violence and anti-social behaviour in Aberdeen schools has been an increasing concern for some time, with recent incidents highlighting the need for urgent action.

Teachers and parents have been warning that aggressive incidents, intimidation and disorder outside school gates are affecting pupils’ sense of safety.

Education leaders stressed the need for early intervention, stronger support services and closer work with families to tackle the issue before it escalates further.

One of the main things Mr Findlay thinks could help is a complete reform of the judicial system to make proceedings and parole processes “more transparent”.

His comments come a day after a teenager – who cannot be named for legal reasons – pleaded guilty to attacking a fellow pupil with a knife at Hazlehead Academy.

The 15-year-old girl admitted at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to permanently disfiguring another girl during morning break.

Mr Findlay says a stricter court system could deter youngsters from crime and anti-social behaviour.

But to fully uproot the problem, he thinks intervention should start at classrooms – where “children should be taught they are responsible for their actions”.

“We need to reset it and start with classroom discipline,” Mr Findlay says.

“If someone is serially disrupting a classroom, and especially if they are committing acts of violence against teachers and or pupils, they ought to be removed.

“We would empower headteachers to be able to do so.

“That means they’re isolated to allow everyone else to learn in peace and safety, while their behaviour is addressed, and it’s explained to them that it will not be tolerated.

“This isn’t going back to some sort of Victorian-era discipline, it’s about simple rules. Young people need to know the boundaries.”

Our survey threw up a number of surprises among the obvious policy positions.

One of these concerns the north-east’s annual battle with “menace gulls”.

Residents have repeatedly raised concerns over the notorious birds’ aggressive swooping, constant noise and streets littered with mess.

This has become a bother for local authorities as well.

Aberdeenshire Council last year spent more than £200,000 on measures including egg and nest removal to deter what some feel is an airborne menace.

From Union Street traders to residents dodging dive-bombing birds, many say the summer months bring dread rather than sunshine as the seagull menace returns.

Mr Findlay’s Moray colleague – and former Scottish Conservative leader – Douglas Ross has been increasingly vocal about the problem and called for action to eradicate it.

But is this a sentiment that is felt across the rest of the party?

“There’s a tendency for it to be seen as a bit of a joke issue, but in fact it’s very serious,” Mr Findlay said.

“They are genuinely causing people alarm in many places where they are prevalent. It’s not just about the inconvenience, but the actual harm they have and continue to cause.

“But there seems to be a conflict there, and what we are saying is that licensing regime should be separated from NatureScot and handed over to councils or indeed ministers.

“NatureScot should have the role of preservation of nature, and when any wildlife becomes a threat to human wellbeing, especially in an urban area, that should be a job for the councils or ministers to work out how best to deal with it.

“And I think that’s a pretty reasonable thing to do.”

And how does he feel about recent polls and rise of Reform?

When it comes to the Tories’ prospects of winning constituencies next month, Mr Findlay remains positive.

This is despite recent voters’ polls showing the party continues to drop further down the ranks – while Reform appears to climbing up the ladder.

But Mr Findlay claims this success would be “short-lived”.

He said: “Reform are a one-man band. They appear to be all things to all people.

“And the more that people see of them, I think the more they will see that they are opportunists in the main, who will say anything to any particular audience.

“Just watch the Reform phenomenon – this shooting star that will burn bright for a short while and disappear just as quickly when Nigel Farage finds something better to do.”

The latest poll suggests Reform could rise up to be the second biggest party in Holyrood, while the Conservatives will drop to fourth place.

According to the survey, the SNP is poised to secure 56 seats, followed by Reform with 22, Labour with 17 and the Tories with 12.

But Mr Findlay is not concerned with this grim forecast and insists that his party still has good chance of a surprise resurgence on May 7.

“It’s a bit like a football analogy,” he begins.

“At the start of the season, if the bookies say your team are never going to win the league, what, do you just not bother playing?

“Or if you’re mid-season and there’s a few games left that can make the difference, the fans expect those players to go out there and fight for every single goal.

“And it’s the same in politics.

“We’re used to being vilified or being told we’re irrelevant. People have been wishing this and saying it for years, and we’ve proven them wrong time after time.”

[Source: Press and Journal]