Concerns over zombie knives still being available to buy online
We've investigated and found a number of websites selling them even a week after the ban came into effect
Last updated 4th Oct 2024
Anti-knife crime campaigners across Staffordshire and Cheshire are demanding more action to make it impossible for dangerous blades to be bought online.
It comes after we found that zombie style knives and machetes are still available to buy in the internet just a week after a ban on them was brought in.
Our chief reporter Adam Smith was able to locate a number of knives in just ten minutes of basic searching on mainstream search engines, on websites aimed at the UK market.
Multiple listings were discovered including knives above 20-inches in length and featuring serrated jagged edges and distinctive holes within the blade. Other knives included imagery of skulls and death etched onto the blade, with some knives featuring handles similar to that of a handsaw.
"It doesn't' surprise me at all" said Danny Mondesir, Founder and MD of Street Whyze Project CIC.
"This is going to be an ongoing issue. We're not going to be able to stop people obtaining these knives. All these summits and meetings taking place currently, the coalition, I do feel that the people in those might not be the best qualified to manage the situation.
"I think a lot of the interventions now have played out and been used for the last decade or so. The whole thing needs a rethink and a reset, and the government needs to broaden the search as some of the people around the table are just the wrong people. The third sector is key. There needs to be a different angle that's being used to look at the situation that encompasses knife crime. To look at the contributory factors, there's a lot that's being missed when looking at the strategic element."
In a statement the Government says it's commissioned a new rapid review into how knives are sold online in a bid to stamp out what it calls this illegal trade.
The Home Office tells us it's working closely with Border Force to stop illegal zombie knives being ordered online.
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