Ninja Sword Surrender Scheme

From 1st July until 31st July there will be a national ninja sword surrender scheme that will run across England and Wales.

The scheme comes ahead of the ban of ninja swords which comes into force from 1st August 2025 when it'll be illegal to own, manufacture, import or sell these weapons.

Throughout July, we are encouraging members of the community to safely surrender their ninja swords at one of our police station front counters:

Burton Police Station

Horninglow Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1PA

Cannock Police Station

15 Wolverhampton Road, Cannock, WS11 1AW

Longton Police Station

Sutherland Road, Longton, ST3 1HH

Anyone wishing to surrender a ninja sword can do so Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.

Ninja swords that are wanting to be surrendered need to be:

Securely wrapped and sealed in a bag or box

Not transported or carried openly

Not removed from packaging until instructed to do so

Front counter colleagues have been provided with information and resources for what to do when these knives are being surrendered.

The legal definition of a ninja sword that are prohibited under The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) (England and Wales) Order 2025 include:

A blade length at least 14 inches but no more than 24 inches. The length of the blade being straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade

A primary straight cutting edge

A secondary straight cutting edge

A blunt spine

Either a tanto style point or a reversed tanto style point

As part of the surrender scheme, owners could also be able to claim compensation from the Home Office and they will decide what level of compensation, if any, is payable to those who surrender a qualified weapon.

In order to be eligible for compensation, individuals must print and complete a compensation form before attending the police station.

People can still surrender knives at amnesty bins, but they will not receive compensation.