The Offensive Weapons Act has today (Thursday 16 May)
received Royal Assent, bringing in tough new measures that
strengthen law enforcement’s response to violent crime.
The Act will make it illegal to possess dangerous weapons
in private, including knuckledusters, zombie knives and
death star knives, and will make it a criminal offence to
dispatch bladed products sold online without verifying the
buyer is over 18.
The Home Secretary, , is also providing
additional support to the police through Knife Crime
Prevention Orders. These Orders will act as a deterrent to
those vulnerable to becoming involved in knife crime. They
will also enable the courts to place restrictions on
individuals to help the police manage those at risk in the
community.
Guidance on the process for Knife Crime Prevention Orders
will be published, including operational guidance to police
forces, ahead of a pilot in London.
, Home Secretary said:
As Home Secretary, I’m doing everything in my power to
tackle the scourge of serious violence. Our new Offensive
Weapons Act is a central part of this.
These new laws will give police extra powers to seize
dangerous weapons and ensure knives are less likely to
make their way onto the streets in the first place. The
Act will also see the introduction of Knife Crime
Prevention Orders – a power the police called for.
As well as tough law enforcement, it’s hugely important
we continue our work to steer young people away from a
life of crime in the first place.
The Act includes a number of other measures to tackle
serious violence, including:
- a ban on the possession, manufacture and sale of rapid
firing rifles and bump stocks, which increase a rifle’s
rate of fire. The ban on the manufacture and sale of these
weapons has now come into force with immediate effect
- a ban on selling bladed products to a residential
address without age verification
- updating the definition of flick knives to reflect
changing weapon designs and banning private possession of
flick knives and gravity knives
- changing the legal definition for threatening someone
with an offensive weapon to make prosecutions easier
- banning the sale of corrosive products to under 18s
- making it an offence to possess a corrosive substance
in a public place
The government will also consult on guidance for some of
the new measures in the Act and engage with businesses and
industry on how the legislation will affect them before it
comes into force.
The Offensive Weapons Act and strong law enforcement form
part of the government’s Serious Violence Strategy, which
combines tough action with the vital need to steer young
people away from crime in the first place.
Recently the government launched a £200 million
10-year Youth Endowment
Fund to create a generational shift in violent
crime. There is also an ongoing consultation on a new
‘public health duty’ which is intended to help spot the
warning signs that a young person could be in danger.
