Under the tougher rules announced by the Home Office online retailers will be required to report any bulk or suspicious purchases of knives on their platform. It is hoped the measure will help prevent illegal resales of knives on social media.
In addition, the sentence for those selling weapons to under 18s will increase from six months to two years and can be applied to any individual including an online retail chief executive.
There will also be a new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence, even if bought legally. This will carry a sentence of up to four years in prison.
In the spring the Home Office will launch a consultation into a registration scheme for retailers who sell knives online.
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The new rules are being collectively called ‘Ronan’s Law’ by the government following the death of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was stabbed to death in 2022 in Wolverhampton, in a case of mistaken identity.
His teenage killers illegally bought the weapons used online with no age or identity verification in place. It later emerged that of the killers had also bought more than 20 knives online, including using his mother’s identification.
Since his death Ronan’s family have been campaigning for tougher rules to limit young people’s access to knives online.
“Retailers, social media, and sellers need to take on more responsibilities.,” said Ronan’s mother Pooja Kanda.
“We welcome the proposal of a registration scheme, where the government will continue to implement stricter measures on the online sale of bladed articles. We have so much work to tackle knife crime; this is a much-needed beginning.
“This part of Ronan’s law will provide much-needed barriers against knife crime. I wish this was done years ago, and my son would be with me today.”
Also backing the government measures is Patrick Green, chief executive of anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella Trust.
“I am pleased to see that the government is listening to frontline organisations and is tightening the legislation needed to eliminate the supply of dangerous and intimidating weapons,” he said.
“These new laws, particularly the focus on reporting suspicious purchases and stronger age verification, will compel retailers to take responsibility for their actions.
“It has been our stated position that a licencing system for retailers is only way to ensure that specialised knives are only sold to those with legitimate and lawful need.”
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she is “grateful to the Kanda family for their endless perseverance in ensuring governments take the right actions to protect young people from further tragedy”.
She added: “It is horrifying how easy it is for young people to get hold of knives online even though children’s lives are being lost, and families and communities are left devastated as a result.”
The development also follows concerns raised over how Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was able to purchase the murder weapon on Amazon, when he was aged just 17.
A government-commissioned review last year headed by National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime Commander Stephen Clayman found a lack of minimum standards for age verification and delivery checks in the sale of knives online.
Clayman said: “A key focus in our fight to tackle knife crime and improve the safety of our communities is limiting the accessibility of knives wherever possible, restricting their availability and the routes to purchase.
“All too often in policing, we are dealing with the horrific consequences of knife crime and seeing how it devastates individuals and families."
