“Zombie-style” knives can still be purchased from websites without ID checks, GB News can reveal.
In a GB News investigation, we found two 20-inch blades with serrated edges and a sharp point were delivered without any online ID checks.
When the zombie knives were delivered in person, the courier did not verify ID.
It is illegal for online retailers to ship knives or blades without checking that customers are over 18.
Age ID also needs to be shown at the point of delivery.
GB News is not naming the retailer nor the courier in this instance, with former police officer Rory Geoghegan warning that the cause of the zombie knife crisis is not the supply of blades, but Government support for stop and search and prison sentences.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has slammed the Conservative Government’s delay in banning zombie-style knives
PA
The investigation comes as Sadiq Khan has called the Government’s failure to deliver the Criminal Justice Bill and ban zombie knives a “betrayal” of the safety of young people and communities.
Sadiq Khan called for Home Secretary James Cleverly to bring forward laws announced in January to ban the sale of the weapons.
Under the Government’s measures, first announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year, it will be illegal to possess, sell, manufacture or transport zombie-style knives from September.
The Criminal Justice Bill was not prioritised in the wash-up process that happens before Parliament dissolves tomorrow.
The Mayor of London claimed the delay showed the Conservatives were not taking the “crisis” of knife crime seriously enough.
He said: “After years of delaying vital legislation that has allowed these dangerous weapons to continue being sold on our streets and having talked the talk about banning zombie knives for years, they have failed to deliver on their promises.
“But it’s clear my calls, along with the voices of survivors, loved ones of victims and campaigners, have frustratingly fallen on deaf ears. The Government are not taking this crisis seriously enough. These weapons have no other use than to cause maximum harm. They must be banned.”
Under Cleverly’s plans, the Home Office was set to introduce a surrender and compensation scheme from late August.
In previous knife crime bans, people have been offered up to £30 to hand in knives, with no legal consequences.
The updated measures came after six different Tory home secretaries made 15 calls to ban zombie knives since 2016.
Cleverly’s announcement in January shifted towards banning “zombie-style knives”.
A previous loophole in the definition of a zombie knife meant that online retailers could sell the blades and people could own them without facing prosecution.
The definition for a zombie knife requires the knives to have “threatening” writing or images on the handle or blade that incites violence.
Many retailers removed any writing or emblems from the products, allowing their continued sale.
A Labour source told GB News that the party had been “urging the Tories to take action” on knives for years.
“On their watch, knife crime has soared by a staggering 80 per cent since 2015.
“This is just another example of the Tories’ chaotic failure to keep our country safe.
“It’s time for change. The next Labour Government will finally end the unacceptable delays in banning zombie knives as part of our unprecedented mission to halve knife crime, with 100 new youth hubs to prevent young people from being drawn into crime, new youth mentors and swift sanctions for those carrying knives.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said the party would take “no lectures” from Sadiq Khan on crime.
“Knife crime has risen by a shocking 20 per cent last year in Labour-run London.
“In fact, Khan was the only Police & Crime Commissioner to miss police recruitment targets, failing to recruit 1,000 extra officers even with the money from the Conservative Government available for recruitment.
Under James Cleverly’s plans, the Home Office was set to introduce a surrender and compensation scheme from late August
PA
“We banned zombie knives in 2016 and cyclone knives in 2019 and the sale of illegal knives online is a priority in the Online Safety Act.
“The choice in this election is clear, stick to the plan with Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives who have driven down crime by 54 per cent since 2010, or go back to square one with Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party who have no plan to cut crime.”
Former police officer Rory Geoghegan said: “The reality is that there are sharp knives in every kitchen in the country. Measures to tackle the supply of knives are well-meaning, but will do little to get knives out of the waistbands and hands of people on our streets.”
Geoghegan, founder of the Public Safety Foundation, said: “Politicians need to show their support for stop and search and prison sentences for those who carry weapons on our streets. Anything less is little more than virtue-signalling at the expense of the safety of typically young men and boys.
“London’s recent history on stop and search under Sadiq Khan is especially concerning, with the Met hitting record lows in the number of searches.
“Meanwhile the government, under Rishi Sunak, has been pursuing measures that would see even more knife carriers avoid a prison sentence. The law-abiding majority deserve much better from our politicians.”
Source Agencies
