Measures in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 to prevent young
people buying and possessing weapons and corrosive substances
come into force today, as part of the government’s continued
efforts to tackle youth violence under the Beating Crime Plan.
The Act places new responsibilities on retailers and delivery
companies during the online sale and delivery of knives and
corrosives, as packages containing these items are now only
handed over to the recipient when it has been verified that the
customer is over 18. The sale of corrosive substances has also
been banned to anyone under the age of 18.
To tackle acid attacks, the government has also made possessing a
corrosive substance in a public place an offence, with those
found guilty facing up to four years behind bars.
Minister for Crime and Policing, , said:
Too many lives have already been lost to youth violence and we
are doing everything we can to stop young people accessing,
carrying and using dangerous weapons.
The measures coming into force today will help prevent these
weapons getting into the wrong hands and will give the police
extended powers to ensure that potentially dangerous weapons such
as knives and acids are taken off our streets.
Graham Wynn, Assistant Director for Consumer, Competition and
Regulatory Affairs at the British Retail Consortium said:
The BRC has been working closely with the Home Office and
welcomes the commencement of these measures introduced in the
Offensive Weapons Act. We have been working with retailers to
ensure they are ready to implement the guidance from today.
We strive to protect the public and close all loopholes which
allow young people to access prohibited products and this
guidance will support us to do this.
Furthermore, current laws around the possession of knives or
offensive weapons on school premises have been extended to cover
sixth form colleges and other further education colleges as well.
Enforcement powers for trading standards bodies have also been
strengthened for those who do not adhere to the new regulations
on the sale of knives, corrosive products and offensive weapons.
The government has also changed the definition for the offence,
threatening with an offensive weapon in public, to make
prosecutions easier.
We have already seen the impact that the Offensive Weapons Act
can have. Prior to the ban on the possession of certain knives,
offensive weapons and firearms coming into force in July 2021, a
successful surrender and compensation scheme ran for three
months.
This led to over 1,100 firearms and almost 15,000 knives and
offensive weapons being surrendered. The additional measures from
the Offensive Weapons Act that come into force today will go even
further in restricting access to dangerous weapons, and will help
to keep our streets safe.
Ben Kinsella’s Trust CEO, Patrick Green said:
Knife crime has an impact on us all, and it is vital to do all we
can to remove knives from our streets.
The importance of this act in helping to do this cannot be
overstated. It will put in place measures to ensure that
irrespective of whether you buy a knife on the high street or
online, you will be subject to an age verification process.
Alongside this, the act will also ban the sale of some dangerous
knives and increase police powers to seized knives. These are
critically important changes to the law that will help in our
fight against knife crime.
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Knife Crime, DAC Graham
Mcnulty said:
The harm caused by knife crime to families and communities is
devastating and the issue remains a top priority for policing but
is not something that can be solved by policing alone.
We are working closely with schools, charities, community schemes
and partners to help people understand why carrying a knife is
never the right choice. Early intervention plays a vitally
important role in preventing young people from turning to a life
of crime.
We welcome the final changes to legislation being introduced by
the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, complementing those that were
brought into effect last year.
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