Zombie knives still for sale online despite ban, BBC finds

Zombie knives and machetes are inactive disposable to bargain online, immoderate for nether £20, much than a period aft they were banned successful England and Wales.

BBC News was capable to acquisition 4 knives from online retailers with UK websites, 2 of which were shipped from overseas.

After being presented with our findings, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said the instrumentality mightiness request to beryllium toughened further successful future.

The Home Office said it was carrying retired a "rapid review" into the merchantability of knives online.

In September, "zombie-style knives" and "zombie-style machetes" were banned successful England and Wales, making it an imprisonable offence to own, make, transport oregon merchantability a wide scope of “statement” knives favoured by transgression gangs.

However, our probe suggests they are inactive making their mode onto Britain's streets due to the fact that immoderate retailers are breaching - knowingly oregon unwittingly - the latest restrictions connected advertizing and selling them.

We placed orders via the UK websites of 4 online retailers. It took conscionable a fewer clicks to corroborate the orders - successful 1 lawsuit conscionable 2 - successful a modular online transaction. One retailer cancelled our bid but 3 accepted, and couriers delivered the knives days aboriginal without the request for a signature.

Hunting&Knives sold america 2 serrated machetes, some 18 inches (45cm) agelong - 1 costing £19.99, the different £30.83.

HuntingCrossbows sold america a "Defender Xtreme Hunting Combat knife" with a 10-inch leaf and a serrated edge, priced astatine £34.99. It appears the weapon was shipped from the USA contempt nary denotation it was being imported.

Meanwhile, NineFit sold america a "Fantasy Master Skull Crusher" sword for £60, listed arsenic having a 20-inch (50cm) blade, which again appeared to person been sent from overseas.

Zombie-style knives are officially defined arsenic a leaf implicit 8 inches (20.32cm) successful magnitude with a crisp constituent and a plain cutting edge, positive either a serrated edge, much than 1 spread successful the blade, spikes, oregon much than 2 crisp points.

Four retired of the 5 experts we spoke to agreed the weapons we purchased appeared to conscionable the ineligible explanation of a banned knife.

"They each look similar violative weapons nether the Act," said Anthony Orchard KC, a transgression barrister who’s prosecuted galore stabbings and weapon offences.

"Over the past 8 to 10 years, these knives person go much and much communal successful the benignant of execution cases that unluckily we are prosecuting crossed the country."

One adept questioned whether the 2 machetes we bought met the explanation of having a "sharp pointed end" - a explanation that hasn’t been considered yet successful court.

Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC's pb for weapon crime, says the caller prohibition was a measurement guardant - but much enactment is needed. He is conducting a reappraisal into the availability of knives online, particularly connected societal media.

"This prohibition volition person an impact, however overmuch of an interaction is hard to accidental but we bash cognize immoderate of the ample UK retailers volition nary longer beryllium selling these knives and that’s got to beryllium a bully thing," helium told the BBC.

"Is it enough? Time volition tell. Will we person to alteration the instrumentality again, rather possibly."

NineFit UK/Handelnine Global Limited didn’t reply to our petition for comment, but the different 2 companies we purchased the knives from did.

Hunting&Knives said it had been reviewing and removing "articles that did not comply with the caller law", adding: "It is not our volition to marque prohibited articles disposable to the extremity customer."

HuntingCrossbows replied to our query astir the legality of the limb it sold america and different knives for merchantability connected its website by saying "these are cosplay oregon show knives for decoration usage only".

"These knives and manchettes (sic) tin not harm immoderate idiosyncratic unless modified," it added, a assertion Mr Orchard said was “astonishing”.

There were much than 50,000 incidents of weapon transgression recorded successful 2023-2024, an summation of 4% connected the erstwhile year, according to the latest ONS figures.

The authorities has made reducing weapon transgression a precedence with a people of halving offences by 2034.

Border Force is liable for scanning planetary message suspected of containing drugs, firearms, knives, and counterfeit items oregon goods with unpaid customs fees - but not each bundle is checked.

The Home Office said: "When we person accusation similar this, it is precise important Border Force tin analyse imaginable amerciable activity."

It said it had "launched a accelerated reappraisal into the online merchantability of knives" and warned societal media executives they would beryllium held liable for advertizing knives connected their platforms. A consultation connected banning "ninja swords" was besides announced this week.

Dr Olumide Wole-Madariola, whose lad Malcolm was stabbed to decease aged 17 successful November 2018 erstwhile helium tried to halt an onslaught connected a stranger, says much inactive needs to beryllium done.

"It was a zombie knife, a serrated zombie knife," Mr Olumide said of the onslaught connected his lad extracurricular Clapham South underground presumption successful South London. "A precise inexpensive weapon arsenic well, it outgo £19.99. That was the outgo of the beingness of my son."

He has campaigned to prohibition zombie knives - and agreed to look astatine pictures of the knives we purchased. "It scares maine erstwhile I spot this," helium said. "It scares maine due to the fact that lives are being mislaid daily.

"The authorities needs to bash more. Each clip a weapon is utilized connected someone, lives are shattered forever, homes are destroyed forever, futures are destroyed forever."