Knife crime: Councils warn children as young as 14 are buying knives

Councils warn that 60% of retailers are selling knives to underage customers in some areas
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Children as young as 14 are being sold knives illegally, councils have warned.

The Local Government Association said up to 60 per cent of retailers in some areas were selling knives to those aged under 18.

It has now called on the government to give more funding to local authorities to help support a crackdown on illegal sales.

Councils say local trading standards teams do not have enough money to properly enforce breaches of knife law sales.

The findings come as official figures revealed a 59 per cent increase in knife crime in England and Wales over the last five years.

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Simon Blackburn, chairman of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said the findings were fuelling the “tragic epidemic” of knife crime.

He said: “The retail supply of knives and acids needs to be managed robustly across all sales points, and retailers must ask for proof of age if they suspect the buyer is under 25.

“The prosecutions fund announced in the Serious Violence Strategy has helped some councils prosecute retailers for blatant breaches of knife sale laws.

“However, given the knife crime epidemic, the significant cuts to trading standards budgets and the extra enforcement activity that will be needed when the Offensive Weapons Bill becomes law, this fund needs urgent further investment and extending to many more councils to tackle illegal knife sales and protect people from harm.”

According to the LGA, one company director was ordered to pay more than £5,500 after a store employee illegally sold a pack of 13 knives to a 14-year-old girl.

Council warn they need more funding to crack down on underage knife sales
PA

Police had previously given a verbal warning to the shop for selling a two-piece cutter set to two 13-year-olds in school uniform in Croydon.

The employee who sold the knives was prosecuted by Croydon Council. They were given a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay £315 in costs and given a community order.

It added that as many as 60 per cent of shops in North Yorkshire were found to be selling knives illegally.

The county council set up a series of test purchases which saw a 16-year-old volunteer able to buy a knife from branches of major retailers on six out of 10 occasions.

In a similar operation, three out of 10 retailers in Southend were found to sell a knife to an underage test purchaser.

In Stoke-on-Trent, three shops were investigated after selling knives to a 15-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl.

The children were able to buy a Stanley knife and two utility knives without being asked for identification.

Two of the retailers received written warnings and one remains under investigation.

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