Zombie Knife Ban Comes into Force in England Today – 24th September 2024

For Gamechanger, as an organisation devising education and intervention programmes designed to deter and keep children and young people away from criminal activity and violence, this change in legislation has come about far too late. 

According to figures published on just Monday this week, the number of crimes involving zombie knives, machetes or swords has almost doubled in the space of four years. But for us, the problem has been evident among street gangs, for far, far longer.

We’ve all known that zombie knives had absolutely no place on our streets and no legitimate purpose, but many young people have had to lose their lives in the time that it has taken government to act and change legislation. 

What is a zombie knife?

Zombie-style knives and machetes are defined as weapons with blades that are more than eight inches (20cm) long, usually with a serrated cutting edge. Inspired by weapons from zombie movies or TV shows, 

They also have one or more of the following: 

• a serrated cutting edge more than two inches (5cm) long
• more than one hole in the blade
• spikes or more than two sharp points in the blade.

What is the new knife law?

From today, it will be illegal to own a zombie knife or a machete, which will include weapons which have a cutting edge, a serrated edge and words or images that imply they can be used for violence.

A ridiculous loophole that zombie knives could be kept and sold if they did not have images depicting violence on their handles will close with the new laws.

For the past month, surrender bins have been available for anyone who wanted to hand in their weapon anonymously. The government offered compensation of £10 for each zombie knife surrendered. One wholesaler whose weapons have been used in several killings had surrendered more than 35,000 “zombie” blades as part of this amnesty. Luton based Sporting Wholesale imported knives in bulk and sold to retailers and also owns the knife brand Anglo Arms, which the company admitted in 2021 had gained a “reputation with gangs”.

Dame Diana Johnson (Policing minister) said anyone found with zombie-style knives and machetes from today will face time in prison. Importantly, how long these prison sentences will be, has not yet been determined.

How many crimes are linked to zombie knives and machetes?

Figures published by the BBC on Monday revealed that the number of crimes involving machetes, swords or zombie knives has nearly doubled in four years.

In 2023, the three types of weapons were mentioned in 14,195 crimes recorded by 32 police forces in England and Wales, compared to 2019, when there were 7,159 offences recorded that involved the large blades.

Almost 10,000 of the offences recorded in 2023 involved machetes, double the number in 2019.

Knife crime rose by 7% in England and Wales in the year to December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), compared to the previous 12 months, but the total 49,489 offences recorded remained below pre-pandemic levels.

In the year to March 2023, 82% of teenage homicide victims were killed with a knife, compared to 73% in the previous year.

Gamechanger have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to run some of our programmes in the North East area. The big emphasis of those delivery days was on educating young people about the dangers of knife crime specifically. We’ve received amazing feedback on the impact these sessions have had in schools and would welcome the opportunity to work with other forward-thinking Violence Reduction Units, PCCs, PRU’s, AP’s and Schools across the UK to spread the word.

If you have read this and think we could help your setting or organisation, please get in touch – 01756 702915 or email info@peelx.co.uk