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With the enforcement of the ninja sword ban in place, more than 1,000 weapons have been surrendered under a British government pardon aimed at tackling the country’s worsening knife crime crisis, the Home Office said on Friday.
A month-long campaign that took place throughout July encouraged individuals, particularly young people, to anonymously hand over weapons in designated amnesty bins and mobile collection vans.
Media reports say the initiative follows a series of well-known knife attacks and is part of a wider government crackdown on the sale and possession of bladed weapons.
One of the most tragic incidents was that 17-year-old Axelludukbana began stab wounds in a Southport-themed child dance recital, killing three girls and 10 injured.
The tragedy sparked public protests, urging the minister to swear to ban certain blade items such as stricter age checks, stricter enforcement of online weapon sales, and banning certain blade items such as zombie knives, machettes and current ninja swords.
As of Friday, it is against the law to “own, manufacture, import, sell and sell ninja swords to the UK and Wales” according to a statement from the Police and Crime Commission (APCC) Association.
The APCC also intends to understand “the root cause behind a person’s decision to carry a knife – a choice that is at high risk of becoming a victim of a knife crime.”
Individuals captured with such weapons in private can face up to six months of prison. This is a sentence expected to rise over two years under the upcoming crime and police bill. Possession in public places has already been fined up to four years in prison.
The new restrictions are part of Ronan’s law, named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was stabbed and killed with a ninja sword in 2022.
“We believe this new ban on ninja swords will make a big difference in the availability of these deadly weapons, including the additional forces that the police can eliminate them, especially with regard to gang-related violence affecting young people,” the APCC said.
Knife crime in the UK and Wales has skyrocketed 87% over the past decade, with 54,587 incidents reported in the past year alone, up 2% from 2023, some of the highest levels seen in Europe.