The surrender scheme marks an important development in the
government’s commitment to tackling serious violence and
strengthening police powers to take action against it.
Under the scheme, offensive weapons that will soon be
prohibited as well as rapid firing rifles, which fire at a
rate closer to semi-automatic rifles, can be surrendered to
the police. Lawful owners will be able to claim
compensation for the items in most cases.
This follows the Offensive Weapons Act which bans
possession of dangerous and offensive weapons in private.
The list of weapons includes zombie knives, cyclone knives,
knuckledusters, death star knives, flick knives, gravity
knives, batons, disguised knives, push daggers and other
offensive weapons. It was already illegal to possess a
knife or offensive weapon in public.
Crime and Policing Minister, , said:
I am committed to ensuring our streets are safe from the
scourge of violent crime.
We are prohibiting ownership of dangerous weapons which
have a high potential for causing harm - every item
surrendered is one which can no longer fall into the
hands of criminals.
The government’s top priority will always be keeping the
public safe and we are ensuring that our laws and police
powers deliver on these commitments.
The scheme will run for 3 months from 10 December 2020 to 9
March 2021. Lawful owners will be able to claim
compensation if the total value of the claim is more than
£30. Claims can be submitted to the police using a
form.
This scheme is in addition to knife amnesties that are
routinely conducted by police forces.
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on knife crime, Deputy
Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty, said:
Tackling knife crime and reducing violence is a top
priority for policing. The surrender scheme will enable
us to remove dangerous weapons off the streets and assist
in keeping our communities safe.
Every weapon removed is possibly a life saved and I urge
people to please help us make our streets safer.
The Offensive Weapons Act is part of wider a government
commitment to reducing serious violent crime, providing
safer streets and neighbourhoods for everyone. This
includes:
- introducing Knife Crime Prevention Orders which are
intended to be preventative, helping young people at risk
of being drawn into knife crime to change their behaviour
- making it unlawful to dispatch bladed products sold
online without measures in place to ensure they are not
delivered into the hands of a person under 18
- changing the legal definition for threatening someone
with an offensive weapon to make prosecutions easier
- banning the sale and delivery of corrosive products to
under 18s and making it an offence to possess a corrosive
substance in a public place
The government is also boosting police numbers with 20,000
additional officers, almost 6,000 of which have already
been recruited. New laws will also make it easier for
police to use stop and search powers for those previously
convicted of knife crime.
The full surrender scheme applies in England and Wales
which relates to certain knives and other offensive
weapons, as well as rapid firing rifles, their ancillary
equipment and bump stocks. The scheme extends to Scotland
and Northern Ireland only with respect to firearms, their
ancillary equipment and bump stocks.
Guidance is
available providing a list of items covered, guidance on
how to travel with and surrender weapons safely, and
compensation levels.
