Alliance responds to consultation on proposals for new knife legislation

The Countryside Alliance has responded to a consultation on possible new legislation to tackle the use of machetes and other bladed articles in crime. The Government has consulted on five proposals: 

• Proposal 1: Introduction of a targeted ban of certain types of large knives that seem to be designed to look menacing with no practical purpose. 
• Proposal 2: Additional powers for the police to seize, retain and destroy lawfully held bladed articles of a certain length if these are found by the police when in private property lawfully and they have reasonable grounds to believe that the article(s) are likely to be used in a criminal act. 
• Proposal 3: Increase the maximum penalty for the importation, manufacture, sale and supply of prohibited offensive weapons (s141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and s1 Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959) and the offence of selling bladed articles to persons under 18 (s141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988) to 2 years, to reflect the severity of these offences. 
• Proposal 4: The Criminal Justice System to treat possession in public of prohibited knives and offensive weapons more seriously. 
• Proposal 5: A separate possession offence of bladed articles with the intention to injure or cause fear of violence with a maximum penalty higher than the current offence of possession of an offensive weapon under s1 of the PCA 1953. 

The Alliance is fully supportive of government action to tackle knife crime, but we have warned that any changes to the law must not restrict or prohibit machetes and knives, or other bladed implements, used legitimately by those engaged in farming, land management, wildlife management and shooting, or by gardeners, thatchers, chefs and butchers for whom they are essential tools to carry out their work. The Government recognises the issue in the consultation document but we remain concerned that in trying to define what is to be banned the Government could inadvertently prohibit legitimately held tools.  

The Government has identified certain types of machetes and large outdoor knives that “do not seem to have a practical use and appear to be designed to look menacing and be favoured by those who want to use these knives as weapons”. These knives and machetes would be added to the list of prohibited offensive weapons meaning that the manufacture, importation, sale and supply of these items would be an offence. Possession, both in public and in private, would also be an offence, unless a defence applies. It is clearly vital that the Government defines clearly the knives it wishes to ban and ensures that legitimate use of knives and machetes can continue.  

We are also concerned about the possible misuse of police powers, although we are not opposed to these additional powers in principle. The police must use any additional powers sensibly and proportionately.  

Tackling knife crime is clearly welcome but restricting the proper and lawful use of bladed tools would not be. You can read our response below.