Home Office Underestimated Zombie Knife Surrenders, Policy Faced ‘Huge Flaws’

Official documents indicate that the Home Office significantly miscalculated the quantity of zombie knives and machetes expected to be handed in prior to a recent prohibition. Research conducted by the BBC additionally suggests that some owners might have received more in compensation than the actual cost of their weapons. One Member of Parliament stated that there were “huge flaws” in the government’s initial impact assessment for the initiative, while another questioned why compensation payments were not capped. The Home Office affirmed that the scheme successfully removed dangerous weapons “off our streets” and confirmed that compensation claims had “undergone stringent review.” The ban itself was enacted by the preceding Conservative government with the objective of reducing serious violence and crime. It broadened the definition of zombie knives, which were already illegal, to include blades measuring 8in (20cm) in length if they possessed other specific characteristics. Before the legislation took effect on 24 September, the Home Office launched a month-long surrender and compensation program. It offered a minimum payment of £10 per knife to retailers and individuals who surrendered three or more items. However, BBC investigations suggest that knives of the type banned could be purchased at a much lower price. This revelation follows an inquiry that found illegal blades were still available for online purchase, a month after they were outlawed. An impact assessment shows the Home Office anticipated owners would surrender 472 blades, resulting in compensation of approximately £14,000. Officials declined to disclose the actual total but stated that the scheme’s results would be published “shortly.” Nevertheless, partial data from several police forces across England and Wales indicates that at least 39,000 knives were surrendered. A retailer in the West Midlands alone handed in over 100 blades. Nottinghamshire Police reported receiving 455 surrendered knives, while Avon and Somerset recorded more than 1,000. On 9 September, Sporting Wholesale, a company based in Luton, delivered 35,871 blades to Bedfordshire Police and submitted a claim for compensation. There is no suggestion that the firm acted illegally or intended to profit from the scheme. Among the knives it surrendered were hundreds of a blade identified as k-mach-165. Sporting Wholesale, which owns the Anglo Arms knife brand, is believed to have procured its knives and machetes from China. A Guangdong-based supplier, whose name the BBC is not revealing, sells similar knives, including one advertised online alongside a sheath marked “Anglo Arms.” Posing as a business seeking to import knives into Western Europe, the BBC requested the supplier’s latest product list, costs, and a shipping estimate for 30,000 knives. A knife highly similar to the k-mach-165 was offered for $5.58 per unit for an order of 1,000. Using an exchange rate from 25 January, and incorporating shipping costs, an 8% import duty, and 20% VAT, the knife would arrive in the UK for approximately £6.15. Sporting Wholesale declined to confirm whether it used the same supplier or if it expected to profit from the compensation program. The company would also have incurred other expenses, such as storage and staffing, in addition to the price of the blades. The k-mach-165 model has been advertised for sale in the UK for about £15. Another blade submitted by Sporting Wholesale was the k-mach-572. The company surrendered a minimum of 12 boxes of this model, with each box containing 12 blades. The Chinese supplier offered to sell our reporter 1,000 similar blades for $5.58 each, which would equate to approximately £6.15 upon arrival in the UK. The supplier also offered another knife model, which had also been surrendered, resembling one used in a murder in Luton in 2023. The supplier stated that this knife would cost about £10.85 each when purchasing 1,000. Sporting Wholesale operates from a warehouse located on the outskirts of Luton. Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for the area, commented: “Thirty-five thousand knives off the street is better than 35,000 knives on the streets.” However, she asserted that the Home Office’s impact assessment “clearly had flaws – huge flaws.” Ms Owen further stated: “I think former ministers who set up this scheme really have questions to answer on how they decided that compensation was going to be allocated and to who. “She continued, “But I think we need to look at why it was that it was designed this way, because clearly it wasn’t designed for the quantity of knives that were actually handed in.” The Home Office explained that its estimates were based on a previous surrender and compensation scheme conducted in 2019. It added that during a consultation in spring 2023, retailers of zombie knives did not provide data on sales or stock. Richard Fuller, the Conservative MP for North Bedfordshire, suggested that the government should have considered capping compensation payments to avoid an “open-ended cost to the taxpayer.” He remarked: “Whether or not this particular store should get its full compensation – I don’t think it’s clear yet that that should be paid and my advice to the government would be to go back and check its homework and see what its rights are under legislation it’s passed.” He also expressed support for the objective of removing more knives from public circulation. A spokesperson for the Home Office stated: “All claims for compensation submitted under the ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes surrender scheme have undergone stringent review.” The spokesperson added: “Dangerous weapons with no other purpose but to harm have been taken off our streets, supporting our mission of halving knife crime and serious violence within a decade.” Sporting Wholesale chose not to provide a comment. The Chinese supplier was contacted for a statement but did not reply.