Two mums of boys stabbed to death in East Anglia call for a holistic approach to tackle knife crime
Commander Stephen Clayman, the national lead for knife crime, said it is sometimes harder to buy paracetamol than it is to buy a knife
The mum of a boy who was stabbed to death in Norwich over three years ago is telling us that educating young people on the dangers of carrying knife is key to reducing this type of crime.
It's as retailers will soon have to report the suspicious sales of knives - including bulk buying - to the police.
Those who sell illegal blades to under 18s will also now face a jail sentence for up two years.
"Huge implications on their future job prospects"
Emma Dix is part of the Government's anti-knife crime coalition.
Her son Joe died in January 2022:
"If they do carry a knife, they're more likely to be injured. They could end up hurting somebody, which would have huge implications on their future job prospects and their ability to travel."
"Are our children going to come back after two years? No!"
Margaret Oakes lives in North Walsham- her son Raymond James Quigley was killed in Ipswich.
She says longer sentences need to be dished out to those who sell illegal blades to somebody under 18-years-old:
"They know what knife crime does to our children and what it put the families through. Are our children going to come back after two years? No! We should be looking at a five year sentence to start with."
The announcement in more detail:
The Home Office announced a raft of anti-knife crime plans on Wednesday, including making retailers report bulk or suspicious sales to police, and increasing the jail sentence for selling weapons to children, or illegal blades such as zombie knives, to two years.
The proposals will be known as Ronan's Law after Ronan Kanda, who was murdered in a case of mistaken identity by two boys who were able to buy knives without identity checks.
It comes as a review found age verification for buying knives online is "a huge vulnerability" at sale and delivery, with thousands of weapons also sold illegally on social media.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Clayman, who is the national lead for knife crime, said it is sometimes harder to buy paracetamol than it is to buy a knife.
Wednesday's measures come on top of proposals already announced to make knife buyers show photo ID at both sale and delivery.
Mr Clayman told the PA news agency: "The age verification is a huge vulnerability, both in terms of at point of sale and at delivery.
"We know that through the tragic stories we hear and have heard, but it continues that there are huge flaws that need to be addressed."
He added: "Bizarrely, it is harder to buy paracetamol in some respects than it is to buy a knife. And that can't be right."
Axel Rudakubana, the teenager who murdered three children and injured another eight and two adults in Southport, bought the murder weapon online despite being under-age by concealing his identity.
Other blades are bulk-bought and resold illegally via social media on the so-called grey market.
Dealers post on social media sites including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, before communicating with potential buyers on encrypted platforms to avoid detection.
"They don't really care who they sell to"
Mr Clayman led a Home Office-commissioned review of online knife sales that found 15 illegal dealers who had sold more than 2,000 knives in an 18-month period.
He said: "I could go to a legitimate dealer and buy 300 knives, and the dealer has no obligation to tell police that someone's just bought that, or the fact I bought five knives each week for the last 10 weeks," he said.
"We need to plug that and understand who is buying these knives.
"Because then what happens is, when they're selling them on social media via their particular accounts, they are selling indiscriminately to children and young men, predominantly men, because there are no age verification safeguards.
"They don't really care who they sell to."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told PA: "We need stronger action to tackle this dangerous knife crime that is killing children, and we've seen lethal weapons in the hands of children, and we cannot go on with families being devastated in this way.
"We need a crackdown on online knife sales, because at the moment there are fewer checks on knife sales to children than there are often on alcohol or cigarette sales to children. That is just wrong."
The measures include plans to create an offence of possessing a weapon with intent for violence. Currently a similar offence exists for someone found in possession of a gun, but not a knife.
A new national police unit to tackle online knife sales will also be piloted.
The proposals do not include measures, highlighted by actor and anti-knife crime campaigner Idris Elba, for a ban on pointed ends on kitchen knives.
Mr Clayman said while the change could take several years to introduce, "the evidence suggests that actually rounded knives could prevent fatalities".
"Nothing is off the table"
Preliminary findings in a new study that tested 1,200 repeated stabbing motions on everyday clothing such as cotton t-shirts and denim jeans found that 10 different round-ended knives did not cut through the fabric at all, compared with two sharp-pointed knives that did.
De Montfort University's forensic scientist Leisa Nichols-Drew, who is leading the research, told PA: "There are these safer alternative knives out there, and our ultimate goal is to reduce injuries, minimise harm and save lives."
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "nothing is off the table" to tackle knife crime as she said "we need to do a lot more in the prevention space".
Ms Cooper said: "Not enough has been done to tackle the online market over recent years which is why we made it an urgent priority in our manifesto and the measures today will be underpinned by investment for a new dedicated police unit to go after those who are breaking the law and putting children's and teenagers' lives at risk."
A consultation will be held later in the year on whether online retailers should have to register in order to be able to sell knives.