Theresa May today urged retailers to step up their efforts to prevent the illegal sale of knives to young people.
The Home Secretary held a summit with online and high street chains in response to concerns that some are failing to enforce the legal ban on sales to under-18s. She said shops could also help by storing blades more safely to make it harder to steal knives. Mrs May added that such “crucial” measures would help save lives and make the streets of London — and other towns and cities — safer for young people.
Announcing a new drive to combat knife crime, the Home Secretary said she was pleased with the support of the retailers attending the meeting today and insisted that the law banning sales to juveniles must be upheld. She added: “Our young people don’t just wake up one morning and decide to start carrying a knife.
“We need to look at all the factors that influence behaviour — from opportunity to what acts as a deterrent.
“Retailers have an important part to play in preventing knife crime — enforcing age restrictions and displaying knives safely is crucial.
“I am encouraged by the willingness of major retailers to meet and discuss how we can work together. Knife crime devastates communities.”
Further measures to tackle the issue will be outlined in a “modern crime prevention strategy” to be unveiled by Mrs May in the coming weeks.
These will include “more effective hotspot policing”, achieved partly by using data from accident and emergency departments to identify victims and where attacks are taking place.
There will also be continued support for intervention schemes to deter young people from carrying knives or being involved in gangs.
Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has vowed to push for a ban on knife sales online if retailers fail to ensure that under-18s are unable to buy them on the internet.
His warning came after one of his staff managed to purchase a 10-inch “zombie killer” blade on Amazon without being asked to prove his age.
The weapons are now understood to have been removed from sale by the website.
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Mr Goldsmith’s Labour opponent, Sadiq Khan, has also threatened to introduce “tougher penalties” for retailers that sell knives to juveniles, among a series of measures to reduce the numbers being killed or injured by blades.
