Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has welcomed the Conservative Government banning machetes and zombie knives in a bid to crack down on violent crime.
Under the measures, machetes and knives that are designed to look intimidating and threatening, known as zombie-style knives, will be made illegal.
The maximum penalty for the importation, manufacturing, possession and sale of these newly proscribed weapons will also be increased from six months to two years, as will the maximum penalty for sales to under-18s.
Police will also be given new powers to seize and destroy knives found on private premises if there are reasonable grounds to believe the blade will be used in a serious crime. Previously, police could not seize knives found during a search on a property, even if they had suspicions of criminal use.
In addition, the Home Office will introduce a new offence for possession of bladed articles with the intention to endanger life or cause fear of violence, and will ask the Sentencing Council to consider amending sentencing guidelines for the possession of bladed articles and offensive weapons so these are treated more seriously than possession of a non-prohibited weapons.
Ben Everitt MP has been determined to stop knife crime in Milton Keynes and has worked closely with Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber on Operation Deter and secured funding for Thames Valley's Violence Reduction Unit. On top of this Thames Valley Police have recruited 784 more police officers since 2019 and plans are in place to double the number of neighbourhood police officers in Milton Keynes.
The local MP said: "The banning of zombie-style knives and machetes is another important step forward in the fight against knife crime here in Milton Keynes and across the country.
"Tackling knife crime is my priority in Milton Keynes and on top of the 784 extra officers we've recruited, we also launched Op Deter last year to take tougher action on anybody caught with a knife in MK."
Policing Minister Chris Philp said: "One life lost to knife crime is one too many, and we must do all we can to stop the vile thugs who carry dangerous weapons from their campaign of intimidation and violence.
"Zombie-style knives and machetes serve no other purpose but to inflate criminal egos and endanger lives. There is no reason to own these types of weapons.
"That is why we are banning these knives and making sentencing more severe, so our communities can be reassured that this violent criminality will face the punishments they deserve, and lives will be saved."
Today’s announcement builds on the government’s action taken to take dangerous weapons off our streets, banning zombie knives in 2016 and cyclone knives in 2019.
On the back of the 2016 ban of zombie knives, some retailers continued to sell these kinds of weapons but evaded breaking the law by removing the threatening wording on the blade or handle that incites violence. Today’s announcement closes this loophole, banning these ‘zombie style’ knives and machetes that do not have this threatening writing, but are just as dangerous.
