Community Safety Alert: Knife Sales, Age Verification and Knife Crime Prevention

Community Safety Alert: Knife Sales, Age Verification and Knife Crime Prevention

Staffordshire Police is reminding all retailers, businesses and online sellers of their legal responsibilities regarding the sale of knives and bladed articles.

Knife crime continues to have a devastating impact on communities across the UK. Staffordshire Police remains committed to reducing violence, preventing young people from accessing knives, and working with partners, retailers and residents to make our neighbourhoods safer.

Legal Requirements for Businesses

Under UK law, it is an offence to sell most knives or bladed articles to anyone under the age of 18. Retailers must have robust age verification procedures in place and be able to demonstrate due diligence when making sales. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 strengthened controls around the sale and delivery of bladed products. [nbcc.police.uk], [gov.uk]

Businesses are expected to:

Refuse sales of knives and bladed articles to anyone under 18. [assets.pub...ice.gov.uk], [nbcc.police.uk]

Operate a recognised age verification policy such as Challenge 25 or Think 25. [gov.uk]

Ensure staff are trained to recognise age-restricted products and challenge customers where appropriate. [gov.uk]

Maintain clear procedures and records to demonstrate compliance with age-restricted sales legislation. [nbcc.police.uk]

Additional Requirements for Online Retailers

Online and remote sellers must take extra precautions to prevent knives being purchased by or supplied to underage individuals.

Requirements include:

Effective age verification at the point of sale. Simple tick boxes or self-declared dates of birth alone are not sufficient. [nbcc.police.uk], [yoti.com]

Ensuring bladed products are delivered only to a person who can prove they are aged 18 or over. [nbcc.police.uk], [gov.uk]

Packages containing bladed articles must not be left in a safe place, on a doorstep, or in a delivery locker where age verification cannot take place. [nbcc.police.uk], [gov.uk]

Compliance with strengthened government measures introducing stricter two-stage age and identity verification requirements for online knife sales and deliveries. [gov.uk], [assets.pub...ice.gov.uk]

Staffordshire Police Action

Staffordshire Police continues to work proactively to tackle violence and knife crime through:

Intelligence-led enforcement and proactive patrols.

Educational engagement with schools, colleges and youth organisations.

Partnership working with local authorities, community groups and businesses.

Test purchasing operations and enforcement activity targeting age-restricted sales.

Knife surrender initiatives and campaigns aimed at preventing young people from carrying weapons.

Retailers play a vital role in protecting communities. By following the law and challenging underage purchasers, businesses can help prevent knives from falling into the wrong hands and contribute to reducing violence across Staffordshire.

If you sell knives or bladed articles, please review your age verification processes and staff training to ensure full compliance with current legislation.

Together, we can help keep Staffordshire safe and reduce the harm caused by knife crime.

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Message Sent By
Lyndsey Brough
(Staffordshire Police, PCSO, South Staffordshire)