Zombie Knife ban does little to prevent knife crime according to London charity
We've been hearing from the Ben Kinsella Trust one year on from the Zombie Knife Ban.
A London knife crime charity has told us the Zombie Knife ban has done little to combat the issue of knife crime across the UK.
Zombie knives are described as 8 inches in length and often have a serrated edge, spikes or more than 2 sharp points and were made illegal to own 1 year ago.
Ahead of the ban, a surrender scheme was put in place to encourage people to give up their weapons safely and without prosecution.
But despite this, Tom Jewks from the Ben Kinsella Trust has been telling us how the ban itself does little to tackle the issue of knife crime, and doesn't combat the reasons why some feel the need to carry a weapon.
He said: "Whilst we welcome the Zombie knife ban, and there has been some signs of success specifically relating to zombie knives, it does not mean we don't have a knife crime crisis in the UK. This is just one part of a whole comprehensive strategy which is needed nationally to tackle this issue.
"It is just such a small part of addressing the picture when it comes to tackling the issue and it obviously doesn't in any way address the root causes of knife crime and some of the root causes that are driving knife crime amongst young people".
Tom added he believed a wider approach looking at the root causes of knife crime is needed to ensure people don't turn from one type of weapon to the other.
"A lot of the time when new weapons are banned, there is a displacement to other types.
" We really need to be focusing on prevention and intervention, so getting upstream with young people before any issues come to light.
" The root causes for knife carrying for young people especially are fear, inequality deprivation and poverty. Also broader systemic issues, like institutional racism. We cannot ignore all those root causes of knife crime.
"It's so important we take a public health preventative approach to tackle this issue, that we don't wait for a young person to get into trouble and we support them in a really positive and impowering way providing opportunities for them.