Offence to sell knives to under 18's.
The ways in which young people obtain knives has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of several high profile stabbings involving teenagers. Since the summer, it is an offence to sell a knife to anyone under the age of 18 but is the law being strictly adhered to?
War on Knives went undercover with Trading Standards in the West Midlands as youngsters were used to flush out the shopkeepers flouting the law. Those caught selling the potentially dangerous weapons to children face a fine of up to £5,000 and a maximum of six months in jail.
The undercover stings are being held in ten ‘stabbing hot spots’ including London, the West Midlands, Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Wales. The move came after it was revealed that no-one was jailed for selling a knife to a child in England and Wales in the five years up to 2006. Almost all of the 71 people convicted of selling knives to children were fined, but mostly less than £500. One person was given a community sentence.
The Home Office has written to local authority bosses and the Association of Chief Police Officers to ask for more to be done to stem the trade.
Do you think targetting the shop-sellers is the right way to get knives off from our teenagers?
Do you think they should be named and shamed if a youngster buys a knife under age?
Join the debate at waronknives@sky.com
