DEVON and Cornwall Police have detailed where residents can surrender ‘zombie knives’ under new legislation, outlawing the weapons.
All police forces in England and Wales are participating in a month-long government scheme to remove zombie-style knives and machetes from the streets.
From September 24, a new law will come into force making it illegal to own certain styles of ‘zombie’ knives and machetes. The legislation is aimed at removing specific types of knives from circulation and prohibits the sale and importation of knives which meet the criteria.
Zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes are described in law as a bladed article with a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, and a blade of over eight inches in length (in a straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade), which may also have one or more of the following features: a serrated cutting edge, more than one hole in the blade, spikes, more than two sharp points in the blade.
The government scheme, which runs until September 23, enables owners of zombie knives and machete weapons to surrender them. Anyone surrendering knives that meet the criteria will be eligible for compensation.
Detective chief inspector Steve Fleetwood, knife crime lead for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Devon and Cornwall region is the one of the safest areas to live with the second lowest overall rate of crime in the country. Knife crime is not a major issue in our region, however we take it very seriously and will continue to educate the public and aim to remove knife crime from the streets.
“This month of surrender builds on the foundation laid by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, broadening the classification of what is a “zombie style knife” to a more operationally useful definition, which should help officers identify and seize more weapons that could be used in the commission of violent crime on the streets.”
In order to surrender a knife, reasonable steps must be taken to make any item that is being surrendered safe to handle whilst travelling to the police station and whilst on police premises.
Items should be made safe to handle for the individual and for the police and must be contained in a manner that allows them to be transported without causing distress or alarm to other members of the public, including members of the public who might be at the designated police station. Items must be wrapped up and placed in a sealed bag or box and must not be carried openly at any time.