Ban on zombie-style knives and machetes fast-tracked by Government
New legislation making these large knives illegal will be put before Parliament today
Laws to ban machetes and zombie-style knives are going to be introduced to Parliament today, just two weeks after Idris Elba launched his campaign for action on knife crime.
The Government will announce new legislation today making many big knives illegal to possess, buy, sell or manufacture in the UK.
The Government put forward plans to ban some zombie-style knives in August last year but has been criticised for how long it's taken them to act.
Figures show hundreds of people die each year (261 in the year ending March 2022) after being attacked with sharp objects, predominantly knives.
Idris Elba is is one of the most prolific campaigners putting his weight behind getting the law changed.
His #DontStopYourFuture campaign, launched a fortnight ago has been calling on a ban and for more attention on how we stop the problem of knife-crime
At the campaign launch Idris told us: "I just feel like we need to show young people that you are respected and that you are cared for.
"Right now, the way it looks is that a young person dies. It's on the news, and then it's gone.
"Number one, let's just ban the knives. There was a legislation that said that zombie knives will be banned, but it's still five months later, and it hasn't been done.
"We should have this done immediately and it won't eradicate the problem of knife crime, but what it will symbolize that our government actually cares about the youth."
"We cannot let them be sold to children"
Home Secretary James Cleverly said:
“Knife crime continues to take precious lives away, and I am determined to put an end to this senseless violence.
“We must stop these dangerous knives ending up on our streets and in the hands of criminals. We cannot let them be sold to children, and we must give young people a way out of violence.
“That is why I have expedited the ban on zombie-style machetes and we are increasing the maximum sentence for selling knives to under 18s. We will continue to invest in youth services that have prevented thousands of violent injuries.”
Labour leader promises £100 million youth-programme
A Labour government would launch a £100 million youth programme to tackle knife crime, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The new plan, a direct echo of New Labour’s SureStart childcare scheme, would see a nationwide targeted programme aimed at identifying and supporting young people at risk of being drawn into violent crime.
Alongside promises of better support, Labour is also promising “real consequences” for knife crime with an end to “empty warnings and apology letters” for those guilty of knife possession.
Loophole to sell zombie-style knives closed
The police have identified that zombie-style knives are increasingly used in criminality, emerging on the back of the 2016 ban when some retailers exploited this loophole to keep selling these dangerous weapons but evade the law. The government say that the measures being introduced today will put an end to this technicality.