From this week, zombie-style knives and machetes are now illegal to possess or sell as part of new measures introduced to halve knife crime in a decade
Zombie-style knives and machetes have this week (24 September) been added to the list of prohibited weapons in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 as the government cracks down on dangerous weapons with no legitimate purpose.
‘Zombie-style’ is the street name given to weapons which are over 8 inches in length and often have a serrated edge, spikes or more than 2 sharp points. A full list of the features of these knives can be found in the guidance for surrender of ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie-style’ machetes.
NPCC lead for knife crime, Commander Stephen Clayman said:
This is just one of a package of measures being introduced by the government to halve knife crime in a decade. Earlier this month, the government announced that legislation is underway to ban ninja swords and it has also commissioned the largest ever review into how knives are sold online to identify any gaps in legislation which will prevent these being sold illegally to under-18s.
The Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime has also been launched, bringing together campaign groups, families of people who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime, young people who have been impacted and community leaders, united in their mission to save lives and make Britain a safer place for the next generation.
From 24 September, anyone caught with a zombie-style knife or machete could face time behind bars.
The ban on zombie-style knives comes at the end of a Home Office run surrender scheme which allowed members of the public to hand in these types of weapons, and those who wished to do so were eligible for compensation. This scheme ended on 23 September and anyone still in possession of these weapons should safely hand them into their local police station or local surrender bin immediately.