The Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention (Dame Diana Johnson)
The Government are today laying before Parliament a statutory instrument to ban ninja swords. Under the Criminal Justice Act (Offensive Weapons Order) 1988, ninja swords will be added to the list of prohibited weapons, making it an offence to manufacture, import, sell or possess one.
The Government are delivering their manifesto commitment and making our streets safer by restricting access to ninja swords and preventing their use as weapons of crime. This will be known as part of Ronan’s law and is an important step forward in our mission to halve knife crime within a decade.
We sought views on the proposals across a four-week period through a public consultation, and the responses are in support of the ban. A copy of the Government’s response to the public consultation can be found on gov.uk.
The surrender scheme for ninja swords will precede the ban, enabling those in possession of a ninja swords to safely surrender it. Those who own a ninja sword on or prior to today, the cut-off date of 27 March—the day on which this statutory instrument is being laid in Parliament —will be eligible for compensation. Those who come into possession of a ninja sword after today will not be able to claim compensation. It will also be possible to surrender a ninja sword without seeking compensation or without attending a police station.
[HCWS554]