Final part of Ronan’s Law introduced in Parliament thanks to campaigning of Kanda family
In a further move to break the cycle of young people carrying knives and to better protect the public from knife-related crime, from 1 August, ninja swords will be banned. This will make it illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell these deadly weapons.
The majority of ninja swords have a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches with one straight cutting edge with a tanto style point. From 1 August, anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face 6 months in prison, and this will later increase to 2 years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill. There is already a penalty of up to 4 years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.
Ahead of the ban coming into place, the government, in partnership with law enforcement and members of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, will run its most ambitious surrender scheme yet. The scheme will run across the country, targeting young people most vulnerable to knife crime.
The surrender scheme will run from 1 to 31 July to allow any member of the public to hand in these weapons safely.
There will also be new safeguards to prevent exploitation of the scheme. For the first time, there will be a cut-off date and no weapons bought after today (27 March) will be eligible for compensation and we will have stronger value checks. There will also be further guidance released advising where a sword can be surrendered if the owner does not wish to visit a local police station or claim compensation. This will offer the greater use of knife surrender bins and their locations.
The government is exploring every avenue to protect young people and break the behaviour of carrying knives as part of its Plan for Change. The mission to halve knife crime is a cross-Whitehall mission to:
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
Pooja Kanda said:
Patrick Green, CEO, Ben Kinsella Trust said:
Sandra Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Word 4 Weapons said:
The ninja ban forms part of Ronan’s Law, which aims to tackle the online sale of knives. Last month, the government announced a series of measures to tackle online sales, including a 2-step verification process for the sale of knives online and significant fines for executives who fail to remove knife crime content for their platform. It also announced tougher penalties for being caught with a knife in public and for selling a weapon to any person under 18.
Ronan’s Law will also require online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police. This will apply to all online sales of knives, including those who operate through online marketplaces. In the spring, the government will also consult on the introduction of a licensing scheme for retailers who wish to sell knives.
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