Plans to ban ‘menacing’ looking knives welcomed by Wiltshire PCC
Zombie knives are already banned - plans to ban zombie-styled knives have been outlined
Plans to tighten laws around the sale and possession of machetes and zombie-style knives have been welcomed by Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson.
Government proposals would ban knives that are “designed to look menacing”, while also increasing maximum penalties for those who sell and possess them.
Wilkinson said: “The last set of ONS crime statistics showed that although the number of crimes where a knife was used had seen a small decrease, the number of people arrested for carrying a knife had seen a year-on-year increase of 48%.
“We need to take control of this situation through continuing to support the good work of our early intervention teams and by making sure the laws allow our officers and the courts to effectively deal with anyone who uses a knife to intimidate or cause harm.”
Current laws prohibit the sale, manufacture, hire, loan or gift zombie knives, and the new laws would extend to zombie-style knives, but don’t contain images in the handle or blade that may incite violence.
The proposals would also seek an increase to the maximum sentencing for importing, manufacturing or selling banned weapons from six months to two years in prison.
Supt Phil Staynings said: “There is no place in society for many of these types of knives – they serve no practical purpose and are only used to inflict harm or to intimidate,” adding that they remain a Force priority.
Wiltshire Council have been working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to secure Safer Streets funding from the Government.