Home Secretary announces new knife crime laws

Amber Rudd has announced plans to consult on new offences to toughen up knife crime laws, to restrict the online sale of knives.

Proposed measures to stop under 18s being able to purchase knives will mean anyone who buys a knife online will be required to collect it in person, with retailers responsible for checking the age of all buyers, making it harder for underage sales to go undetected.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that there was a 14 per cent increase in knife crime offences for the year ending December 2016 on the previous year.

With more than 32,000 knife crime offences taking place in the UK, there were also more than 4,000 recorded hospital admissions for assaults involving sharp weapons in England in the year ending March 2016, which represents a 13 per cent rise.

Rudd said: “Knife crime has devastating consequences. I am determined to tackle this and do all I can to break the deadly cycle and protect our children, families and communities. The action I am setting out will help keep people safe and give police the powers they need to crack down on offenders. Prevention is also key and we will be working to educate our young people and give them the strength they need to turn away from knives.”