School pupils have been receiving lessons from their peers under a pilot scheme aimed at cutting violent crime.

The initiative is the brainchild of Medics Against Violence (MAV), an organisation set up almost a decade ago in response to the number of youngsters being injured in violent incidents.

The Scottish Government said two schools are now piloting MAV "interns" among their senior pupils, who have so far delivered lessons on violence reduction to more than 700 fellow pupils.

Boclair Academy in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, is one of the schools trialling the scheme.

MAV director Dr Christine Goodall said: "MAV Interns has given us the opportunity to harness the skills and knowledge of young people and the influence they have over their younger peers to deliver very effective and credible violence prevention lessons.

"We take the approach that young people need to look out for each other and this 'keeping the whole school safe' approach has allowed the sixth-year pupils to take a leadership role in making sure that happens."

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "Violent crime has reduced by 52% between 2006/07 and 2015/16, and recorded crimes of handling an offensive weapon have fallen by 69% over 10 years.

"However, we recognise that there is still more we all need to do.

"The work of Medics Against Violence fits well with our overall approach of prevention and early intervention, and I'm pleased to see they've reached a significant number of school children.

"The interns project, in particular, will help educate our young people on the harm that violent crime can cause as well as its consequences."

Medics Against Violence is funded through the Violence Reduction Unit, which is in turn funded by the Scottish Government.