Zombie knife ban doesn't go far enough, says Shoreham stab victim

A Shoreham man who was stabbed three times in an unprovoked attack after being mistaken for somebody else says a fresh ban on zombie knives doesn't go far enough to keep our streets safe.

The knives have been banned since 2016, but a loophole allowed sales to continue.

Now - anyone found in possession of one could face a jail sentence, as an amnesty scheme where people were encouraged to hand in their blades ends.

However Danny Grace, who has used his experience being stabbed to campaign against knife crime, tells us more needs to be done to identify children at risk of being groomed into violent gangs before they leave school.

"Not every child is destined to be a gang member.

"Some are just brought into this environment unneccessarily and unwillingly - because they think that that's the only option that they've got.

"Be more attentive, be more considerate - police need to look at the individual cases rather than tarnishing everyone with the same brush."

A Freedom of Information Request submitted to Sussex Police revealed 48 instances of children being involved in machete-related crimes this year.

Danny continues that there needs to be more intervention in schools:

"Instead of worrying about statistics and ticking boxes, why don't you sit there and go 'we think your son has a problem'.

"Address it with the parent, in a constructive way that the parent can see that if this is the case, it could end very badly for the child."

Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Gavin Stephens welcomed the ban, but said enforcement is only one part of reducing knife crime.

He said: "We're acutely conscious that bans and the legislation and enforcement is only one part of the equation, and we know that there's a lot for us to do across the full range of our policing activities to deter young people from violence.

"We're not going to solve the problem of knife crime just by one aspect of it."

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