More ‘zombie-style’ knives to be banned as police given seize and destroy powers
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ore “zombie-style” knives and machetes with no sensible use are to be banned and police shall be given extra powers to grab and destroy them, the Government has stated.
The most sentence for the importation, manufacturing, possession and sale of those newly proscribed weapons shall be two years, the Home Office stated.
A brand new offence may also be launched for possessing bladed articles “with the intention to endanger life or cause fear of violence”.
The Government stated the measures, first proposed in April, shall be legislated “when Parliament allows” following a public session.
We are banning these knives and making sentencing extra extreme, so our communities will be reassured that this violent criminality will face the punishments they deserve, and lives shall be saved
The possession of so-called “zombie” knives, presently outlined by the Government as a blade with “a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence”, is already unlawful.
Under the brand new measures, the Home Office stated the definition will embrace any bladed weapon greater than eight inches lengthy with a plain-cutting edge and sharp pointed finish that additionally has both a serrated leading edge, a couple of gap within the blade or a number of sharp factors like spikes.
Ministers hope the adjustments will shut a loophole which has seen some retailers proceed to promote harmful weapons with out breaking the regulation by eradicating sure banned options.
But shadow dwelling secretary Yvette Cooper stated the newly prohibited weapons “should have been banned years ago”, and accused the Government of failing to correctly shut gaps within the present laws.
Police shall be given new powers to grab and destroy knives discovered on non-public premises if there are “reasonable grounds to believe the blade will be used in a serious crime”, stated the Home Office.
This is the sixth time in seven years that the Conservatives have promised to outlaw zombie knives
The Sentencing Council may also be requested to think about amending tips for the possession of bladed articles and offensive weapons in order that these are handled extra severely than possession of non-prohibited weapons.
The Home Office stated particular exemptions shall be made for “legitimate articles” corresponding to objects of historic significance and people which can be hand-made, with a view to keep away from unfavorable results on the antiques market.
It follows a string of comparable bulletins by a succession of dwelling secretaries in recent times.
Policing minister Chris Philp stated the newly-prohibited weapons “serve no other purpose but to inflate criminal egos and endanger lives” and there’s “no reason” to personal them.
“That is why we are banning these knives and making sentencing more severe, so our communities can be reassured that this violent criminality will face the punishments they deserve, and lives will be saved,” he stated.
Anti-knife crime charity Steel Warriors welcomed the ban on weapons that “have no place in modern society”.
National Police Chiefs’ Council knife crime lead, Commander Stephen Clayman, stated the proposals would supply “robust measures” to sort out knife crime “when used appropriately”.
But Ms Cooper stated: “This is the sixth time in seven years that the Conservatives have promised to outlaw zombie knives. Time and again the Tories have been hopelessly weak and slow to tackle this serious and dangerous crime.”
In April Mr Philp defended the plans, which shall be launched throughout England and Wales, within the face of accusations that they had been “too little, too late”.
Shadow policing minister Sarah Jones advised MPs the measures had been a “smokescreen to distract from (the Government’s) appalling record” however Mr Philp stated they’d assist to “go even further” in tackling knife crime, constructing on the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.
The variety of individuals killed with a knife in England and Wales in 2021/22 was the best on file for 76 years, in response to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
About 4 in 10 – 282 – homicides had been dedicated utilizing a knife or sharp instrument within the yr to March 2022.
Some 51 youngsters aged between 13 and 19 had been among the many victims.