Stricter age verification checks signposted for all knife retailers

The plan is to mandate a stringent two-step system for all retailers selling knives online that requires end customers to submit photo ID at the point of sale and again on delivery. In addition, delivery companies will only be able to deliver a bladed article to the same person who purchased it.

The Government harbours an ambitious mission of halving knife crime within a decade as part of the ‘Plan for Change’. A core element of this will be addressing problems in the online sales space.

Under the new measures, an individual may need to submit a copy of their photo ID such as their driving licence or passport, as well as proof of address (such as a utility bill) before showing ID again when the package is delivered. This could also include a person submitting a current photo or video of themselves to an online retailer alongside their ID.

Further, it will now be illegal to leave a package containing a bladed weapon on a doorstep when no-one’s at home to receive the package.

“Total disgrace”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper asserted: “It’s a total disgrace how easy it remains for children to source dangerous weapons online. More than two years after Ronan Kanda was killed with a ninja sword bought by a teenager online, too many retailers still don’t have proper checks in place.”

Cooper continued: “It’s all-too-easy to add false birth dates [to online orders], while parcels are frequently being dropped off at a doorstop with no questions being asked. We cannot go on like this. We need much stronger checks to be in place before items are bought and before they’re delivered.”

In conclusion, the Home Secretary observed: “These new measures will be crucial in addressing this problem. They’re part of the Government’s ‘Plan for Change’ and a determined mission to make the streets safer.

Comprehensive review 

Last year, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, the national police lead on knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. Clayman’s full report is expected at the end of the month and it’s the case that stronger ID checks are one of the recommendations put forward.

The Government has already announced that it will hold social media executives to account for knife crime-related content which glorifies and incites violence among young people. Senior executives of social media companies will face significant fines (potentially somewhere in the region of £10,000) for failing to swiftly remove knife crime-related content from their digital platforms.

The Government’s new knife crime measures are set to be included as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which is expected to be introduced to Parliament in the first half of this year, with more proposals to follow in the coming weeks.