A Trading Standards test purchasing operation in Cumbria has revealed that some retailers are ignoring the law and selling knives to underage customers.
It is illegal to sell a knife to anyone aged under 18 and the offence carries a maximum sentence of six months.
Trading Standards has the power to carry out spot checks on the sale of knives by using underage test purchasers. A 15-year-old boy working with Cumbria Trading Standards made 10 attempts to buy knives in Penrith and was successful on three different occasions. In Ambleside a 14 year-old girl made one attempt and was successful first time in her attempt to buy a 21cm cook's knife.
All four retailers have been warned. There will be a further Trading Standards test operation in all the locations within the next six months and a second failure to comply with the law will mean prosecution.
Phil Ashcroft, Head of Cumbria Trading Standards, said:
"Our test purchasers clearly looked under 18 - we're not trying to hoodwink retailers, we're trying to make sure they follow the law. The legal age for buying a knife was raised from 16 to 18 last year and it's important that retailers understand the implications of breaking the law. Fortunately knife crime is relatively low in Cumbria, but we need to ensure that this remains the case and we will be continuing our vigilence on this issue throughout the county in the coming months."
Cumbria Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable (Crime), Graham Sunderland, said:
"Knife crime is not a major issue in Cumbria. We have one of the lowest number of incidents involving knives or blades in the country and, thankfully, we do not experience gang related violence. We are not complacent, however, and we are working with partner agencies on initiatives like this to proactively discourage the use of knives to ensure that Cumbria remains a safe place to live and visit."
Notes
Attached is a jpeg of the 21cm knife bought by a 14-year-old girl in Ambleside.
According to the latest Home Office figures issued last month, knife crime in Cumbria is well below national averages and Cumbria is the sixth lowest constabulary area in England and Wales in terms of the number of knife-related incidents. A total of 73 serious offences involving a knife were recorded in Cumbria last year - only the City of London, Dorset, North Yorkshire, Norfolk and Lincolshire recorded fewer incidents. The highest number nationally was the Metropolitan police (7,409) and the highest number in the north west was Greater Manchester (2,294).
ENDS
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