A knife wholesaler has handed over more than 35,000 weapons to police as part of Britain’s crackdown on knife crime. Sporting Wholesale, based in Luton, supplies so-called “zombie knives,” which the UK government has recently banned. The distinctive-looking weapons usually have images or wording on their serrated blades, and police say they are responsible for hundreds of deaths, often involving youths and gangs.
Superintendent Alex House of Bedfordshire Police stated that the knives’ sole purpose was violence. “There’s no other practical use for them,” he said. The government allowed owners to hand them over and receive around $12.50 in financial compensation, or face criminal punishment when the prohibition takes effect in late September. Machetes are also banned.
According to the government, knife-related offenses are growing in England and Wales, jumping from 46,153 in 2022 to 49,489. Newly elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised a crackdown and launched initiatives in early September. However, there is widespread unease across Britain about Starmer’s broader approach to crime.
On September 9, Mr. Starmer’s government released 1,700 prisoners from jail, saying facilities were overcrowded and few other options were available. The Prime Minister blamed his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, and the conservative government for failing to build enough jails. There was public outrage, however, when, despite assurances from Starmer that it wouldn’t happen, hundreds of domestic abusers, sex offenders, and murderers were freed.
Victims groups urged the government to rethink and told the media that several victims of the freed prisoners’ crimes were not warned about their perpetrator’s release. Baroness Newlove, the country’s Victims Commissioner, called the episode “regrettable” and “distressing” for many.
In an incident at Wandsworth Prison in South West London, an inmate was arrested on suspicion of rape, sex assault, and a racially aggravated public order offense just moments after his release. Questions were immediately asked about why such an individual would have been considered eligible for release from jail, where he was serving time for unrelated crimes.
Journalists and photographers witnessed the arrest amid extraordinary scenes as prisoners celebrated their liberty with champagne. One told reporters he intends to vote for Labour in the future.
