Surrender and compensation scheme opens ahead of knife ban

• Changes to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 will add ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie style’ machetes to the list of prohibited offensive weapons.
• A Home Office surrender and compensation scheme begins at 00:00hrs 26 August 2024 and runs until 23.59hrs 23 September 2024 for anyone who owns these weapons.
• Ban aimed at reducing accessibility of some deadly weapons

Anyone in possession of a zombie-style knife or machete is being encouraged to surrender it under a new Home Office scheme, before these weapons are added to the list of prohibited offensive weapons.

Once the amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 comes into force from 00:00hrs on 24 September 2024, it will be an offence to possess weapons which meet the specified criteria, in a move which aims to reduce the accessibility of some of the deadliest types of knives.

If you have a weapon which meets the criteria, you can surrender it at your nearest designated police station under the scheme which opens at 00:00hrs 26 August 2024 and runs until 23.59hrs 23 September 2024. Compensation will be paid by the Home Office if the weapons being surrendered meet the criteria.[1]

Commander Stephen Clayman is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime. He said:

“Tackling knife crime requires all agencies and partners working together, approaching this from a number of different angles. Dealing with the accessibility of deadly weapons is key and we are doing all we can to reduce how readily and easily they can end up in the wrong hands. Many of these ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes are clearly designed to intimidate and cause harm, rather than serve any practical purpose, so the ban will support us by significantly reducing their availability.

“I would urge anyone in possession of a knife soon to be become prohibited to do the right thing and surrender it. To be clear from the 24^th September you will be liable to arrest and prosecution if found with such a weapon.  If you don’t wish to take part in or are not eligible for the compensation scheme you can surrender any knives or weapons at a suitable knife bin which are readily available across the country.”

The new legislation followed an extensive public consultation in 2023 with proposed measures developed in partnership between the Home Office and NPCC Knife Crime Working Group.

The working group continues to engage with Government and retailers to develop additional measures to reduce the availability of knives, particularly those readily accessible online.

Full details of the surrender and compensation scheme can be found here 

Criteria for weapons which will be illegal to possess following 24 September 2024:

The weapon sometimes known as a ‘zombie-style’ knife or ‘zombie-style’ machete, being a bladed article with—

• (i) a plain cutting edge;
• (ii) a sharp pointed end; and
• (iii) a blade of over eight inches in length (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade),

which also has one or more of the following features, the specified features are:

• — (a) a serrated cutting edge (other than a serrated cutting edge of up to two inches next to the handle);
• (b) more than one hole in the blade;
• (c) spikes;
• (d) more than two sharp points in the blade other than:
  • o (a) a sharp point where the angle between the edges which create the point is an angle of at least 90 degrees (where there is a curved edge, the angle will be measured by reference to the tangent of the curve);
  • o (b) a sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.

[1] No compensation will be payable in respect of a claim where the total is less than £30. This means that if you have one item to surrender you will not be eligible for compensation, but if you have three items at £10 each, you will be eligible to claim £30 of compensation for the three items.