Thames Valley PCC welcomes ninja sword ban but warns against overstating its impact
Matthew Barber says the force is committed to cracking down on knife violence
As the government’s ban on ninja swords comes into force, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has expressed support for the change — but cautioned against viewing it as a silver bullet in tackling knife crime.
The new legislation, which takes effect from today (August 1), makes it an offence to possess a ninja sword in both public and private settings.
The ban follows a month-long surrender scheme and is part of a wider government effort to reduce knife crime nationally.
So far, over 1,000 weapons have been handed in.
Mr Barber described the move as “a helpful step,” but warned against relying on legislation alone.
"I think this is a helpful move, but I think there is a danger of overstating it," he told Greatest Hits Radio. "I'm always critical of governments of all shades who want to legislate because legislation looks like activity."
He acknowledged that while it was already illegal to carry such weapons in public without good reason, the new rules close a loophole for private possession.
"There is a situation where the police might be in someone's home dealing with another offence, making enquiries, and they might see what is clearly an offensive weapon — and yet there's no offence being committed. The legislation will change that", he said.
Mr Barber said the new powers are important because "there are no good reasons for having one of these weapon - they are used by criminals and they can endanger life."
However, he stressed that most knife-related offences involve far more commonplace items.
"The most commonly used weapons on our streets that could be a danger to people are kitchen knives," he said. "We can't legislate our way out of banning knives, and actually that can be a bit of a distraction from where the real risk is, which is of course the people holding the weapons."
Nationally, knife-enabled robberies have fallen 6% in the last year, with the West Midlands seeing a 25% drop. Greater Manchester, however, saw a 4% rise.
The Home Office attributes the reduction to a dedicated taskforce operating in seven high-risk areas, deploying measures such as drones, knife arches, and detection dogs.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the ban forms part of a wider mission to halve knife crime within the next decade, with new mapping technology enabling more targeted intervention.
"The drop in knife-enabled robbery in key problem areas shows the impact that our strong new action on knife crime is having," she said.
For Mr Barber, the legislation’s deterrent effect will depend on how it’s enforced.
"I think it can have an impact in terms of a deterrent effect to show that there are consequences," he said. "People have got to be concerned they're going to get caught and they've got to be concerned there's going to be consequences."
Despite the new powers, Mr Barber said the most effective tool remains “good old-fashioned policing” and early intervention.
He added: "This is about people choosing to cause other people harm -whether someone uses a knife, a hammer, a baseball bat or their bare hands doesn’t really matter. It’s the people we need to go after who are causing a danger to others."