Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of knife bans on the level of knife-related incidents.

The legislation in this area is kept under review in the interests of public safety and in line with this we implemented a ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell, supply, manufacture or own these weapons.

The Government is also committed to banning Ninja swords, and following a consultation between 13 November and 11 December 2014, we are working on plans for an effective ban.

The prohibition of certain types of knives and other bladed articles gives the police powers to seize the weapons and to prosecute offenders, a valuable tool in addressing knife crime and wider criminality.

Statistics on knife related offences do not record the level of detail necessary to assess the effectiveness of specific knife bans.