Knife crime chaos exposed as Zombie-style knives can be bought without ID checks

'Zombie-style' knives can be bought online without ID checks, according to a shocking new investigation. The finding, exposed by GB News, comes amid an out-of-control knife crime epidemic among young people across the UK. Knife crime and the spread of Zombie-style serrated knives could become a major election issue ahead of the vote on July 4.

The chilling investigation revealed how a twin set of 20-inch Zombie-style blades with serrated edges and a sharp point were purchased from an online retailer without any ID checks.

Age ID was also not requested during the point of delivery. It is illegal for online retailers to ship knives or blades without first checking that customers are over 18.

Earlier this month, police commander Stephen Clayman warned that knives were also being sold illegally to under-18s via social media channels including TikTok, Snapchat, and those run by Meta.

Sadiq Khan, who is under pressure to solve the spiraling knife crime crisis in the capital, has pinned the blame on the Conservative Government for delaying a ban on the deadly blades. Nearly 15,000 knife crime offences were recorded in London over the 12 months to December 2023.

The London Mayor shamed the Government’s failure to deliver the Criminal Justice Bill and ban zombie knives as a “betrayal” to young people up and down the country.

The Criminal Justice Bill, which will not be passed before Parliament is dissolved tomorrow, would have made it illegal to possess, sell, manufacture or transport zombie-style knives from September.

The measures, first announced by Rishi Sunak last year, would have shutloopholes exploited by online retailers to sell the knives despite a 2016 ban.

Mr Khan said the delay showed the Conservatives were not taking the “crisis” of knife crime seriously enough.

The Mayor of London explained: “After years of delaying vital legislation that has allowed these dangerous weapons to continue being sold on our streets and having talked the talk about banning zombie knives for years, they have failed to deliver on their promises.

But it’s clear my calls, along with the voices of survivors, loved ones of victims and campaigners, have frustratingly fallen on deaf ears. The Government are not taking this crisis seriously enough. These weapons have no other use than to cause maximum harm. They must be banned.”

A Labour source told GB News that the party had been “urging the Tories to take action” on knives for years.

They vowed that the "next Labour Government will finally end the unacceptable delays in banning zombie knives as part of our unprecedented mission to halve knife crime, with 100 new youth hubs to prevent young people from being drawn into crime, new youth mentors and swift sanctions for those carrying knives".

A Conservative Party spokesman hit back and said the party would take “no lectures” from Sadiq Khan on crime.

The spokesman pointed out that "Khan was the only Police & Crime Commissioner to miss police recruitment targets, failing to recruit 1,000 extra officers even with the money from the Conservative Government available for recruitment".

Former police officer Rory Geoghegan, who runs the Public Safety Foundation, said that both the Conservatives and Labour share the blame for the ongoing crisis.

He explained that the Criminal Justice Bill would not have solved the crisis. He also urged political support for stop and search powers, as well as prison sentences for those who carry weapons on our streets.

Mr Geoghegan said: "Anything less is little more than virtue-signalling at the expense of the safety of typically young men and boys. London's recent history on stop and search under Sadiq Khan is especially concerning, with the Met hitting record lows in the number of searches.

"Meanwhile the government, under Rishi Sunak, has been pursuing measures that would see even more knife carriers avoid a prison sentence. The law-abiding majority deserve much better from our politicians.”

A week-long police crackdown on knife crime across the country has led to thousands of knives being seized.

More than 500 weapons have been seized across East and West Sussex while more than 500 were taken off the streets across the West of England.

This is part of Operation Sceptre, which ran from 13 to 19 May. Spectre is a twice-yearly operation that aims to deter people from carrying knives.