More than 1,000 deadly weapons taken off streets ahead of zombie knife ban
Police have revealed the chilling array of deadly weapons seized in just two months - including a samurai sword and a medieval axe. The fearsome arsenal, including zombie knives, was put on display by West Midlands Police as they emptied one of 31 weapon surrender bins.
Other dangerous arms featured in the grim haul are hatchets, a terrifying dagger and numerous 2ft-long machetes. A total of 1,118 knives, guns and weapons were deposited in the containers across a nine-week period.
The force, which is the UK's second largest, has launched its campaign alongside doctors and the families of victims of knife crime. The last time the bins were emptied more than 1,000 knives, guns and other weapons were successfully deposited and later destroyed.
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West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “They are all opened every three months and we’ve been opening one in Aston. I think people appreciate the surrender bins. People understand it is an important initiative.
“They are popular, we often have calls for communities to locate them and of course we do consider all requests.” The number of crimes involving machetes, swords or zombie knives has nearly doubled in five years, police figures suggest.
Data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act showed that in 2023 the three types of weapons were mentioned in more than 14,000 crimes recorded by 32 police forces in England and Wales. In 2019, there were 7,159 offences recorded as involving the large blades, which rose to 14,195 in 2023.
Nearly 10,000 of the offences recorded in 2023 involved machetes, double the number from five years before, the broadcaster reported. Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 23, a ban on owning zombie-style knives and machetes comes into force, following the four-week amnesty scheme where owners were encouraged to hand the weapons into police, local authorities or knife crime charities.
The ban is part of efforts to reduce knife crime, with campaigners including actor Idris Elba pushing for the large blades to be outlawed. The Government plans to also ban ninja swords in the future.