Zombie knife surrender policy had 'huge flaws'

The Home Office underestimated however galore zombie knives and machetes would beryllium surrendered up of a caller ban, documents show.

Research by the BBC besides suggests immoderate owners whitethorn person been offered much successful compensation than their knives cost.

An MP said determination were "huge flaws" successful the government's archetypal interaction appraisal for the scheme, portion different queried wherefore compensation was not capped.

The Home Office said the strategy had taken unsafe weapons "off our streets" and that compensation claims had "undergone stringent review".

The prohibition was introduced by the erstwhile Conservative authorities to chopped superior unit and crime.

It widened the explanation of zombie knives, which were already banned, to see knives that were 8in (20cm) long, if they had different circumstantial features.

The Home Office opened a month-long surrender and compensation strategy earlier it became instrumentality connected 24 September.

It offered to wage a minimum of £10 per weapon to retailers and individuals handing successful 3 oregon more.

But BBC probe suggests knives of the benignant banned could beryllium bought acold much cheaply than this.

It comes aft an investigation found amerciable blades were inactive disposable to bargain online, a period aft they were outlawed.

An impact assessment shows the Home Office thought owners would manus successful 472 blades, resulting successful compensation of astir £14,000.

Officials would not uncover the existent full but said the results of the strategy would beryllium published "shortly".

However, partial information from respective constabulary forces successful England and Wales shows astatine slightest 39,000 knives were surrendered.

One retailer successful the West Midlands handed in much than 100 blades.

Nottinghamshire Police said it saw 455 knives surrendered, portion Avon and Somerset had more than 1,000.

On 9 September, Luton-based Sporting Wholesale delivered 35,871 blades to Bedfordshire Police and made a assertion for compensation.

There is nary proposition the steadfast did thing amerciable oregon intended to nett from the scheme.

Among the knives it surrendered were hundreds of a leaf known arsenic k-mach-165.

Sporting Wholesale, which owns the Anglo Arms weapon brand, is thought to person sourced its knives and machetes from China.

One Guangdong-based supplier, which the BBC is not naming, sells akin knives, including 1 advertised online alongside a sheath marked "Anglo Arms".

Posing arsenic a concern wanting to import knives into Western Europe, the BBC asked the supplier for its latest merchandise list, costs and a shipping estimation for 30,000 knives.

A weapon precise akin to k-mach-165 was offered to america for $5.58 if we ordered 1,000 of them.

Using an speech complaint from 25 January, and adding shipping costs, import work of 8% and VAT astatine 20%, the weapon would onshore successful the UK for astir £6.15.

Sporting Wholesale would not accidental if it utilized the aforesaid supplier oregon if it anticipated it would nett from the compensation scheme.

The institution would besides person faced different costs, specified arsenic retention and staffing, supra the terms of the blades.

K-mach-165 has been advertised for merchantability successful the UK for astir £15.

Another leaf handed successful by Sporting Wholesale was the k-mach-572.

It surrendered astatine slightest 12 boxes of this model, each containing 12 blades.

The Chinese supplier offered to merchantability our newsman 1,000 akin blades for $5.58 each, which would onshore successful the UK for astir £6.15.

It besides offered to merchantability different weapon model, which had besides been surrendered, akin to 1 utilized to murder a antheral successful Luton successful 2023.

The supplier said the weapon would outgo astir £10.85 each, erstwhile buying 1,000.

Sporting Wholesale is based successful a warehouse connected the outskirts of Luton.

Sarah Owen, Labour MP for the area, said: "Thirty-five 1000 knives disconnected the thoroughfare is amended than 35,000 knives connected the streets."

But she said the Home Office's interaction appraisal "clearly had flaws - immense flaws".

Ms Owen added: "I deliberation erstwhile ministers who acceptable up this strategy truly person questions to reply connected however they decided that compensation was going to beryllium allocated and to who.

"But I deliberation we request to look astatine wherefore it was that it was designed this way, due to the fact that intelligibly it wasn't designed for the quantity of knives that were really handed in."

The Home Office said its estimates were based connected a erstwhile surrender and compensation strategy successful 2019.

In a consultation successful outpouring 2023, it added, zombie weapon retailers did not supply information connected income oregon stock.

Richard Fuller, Conservative MP for North Bedfordshire, said the authorities should person considered capping compensation payments to debar an "open-ended outgo to the taxpayer".

He said: "Whether oregon not this peculiar store should get its afloat compensation - I don't deliberation it's wide yet that that should beryllium paid and my proposal to the authorities would beryllium to spell backmost and cheque its homework and spot what its rights are nether authorities it's passed."

He besides supported the purpose of getting much knives disconnected the streets.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "All claims for compensation submitted nether the 'zombie-style' knives and machetes surrender strategy person undergone stringent review.

"Dangerous weapons with nary different intent but to harm person been taken disconnected our streets, supporting our ngo of halving weapon transgression and superior unit wrong a decade."

Sporting Wholesale declined to comment.

The Chinese supplier was contacted but did not respond.