Government and major retailers unite to tackle knife crime
Retailers have joined forces with the Government in a ground-breaking initiative to prevent the underage sale of knives in stores and through their websites.
Retailers have joined forces with the Government in a ground-breaking initiative to prevent the underage sale of knives in stores and through their websites.
The united stance with full backing from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will commit the parties to raising public awareness of age restrictions and robust verification checks for knife sales whether ordered in-store or online, at point of collection or delivery.
The agreement`s voluntary principles stretch to a commitment for law enforcement agencies to conduct follow-up test purchases of knives in six months and to provide feedback to retailers to take action to tackle breaches of legislation.
The group includes Britain`s number one grocer, Tesco, as well as Lidl UK, Amazon UK, Wilko, Argos, Morrisons, Asda, Poundland, Sainsburys, John Lewis and Waitrose all opting to hold regular staff training on knife crime-related issues.
In addition, eBay UK and Amazon have also made important commitments for their respective marketplaces.
The agreement follows a knife crime roundtable with a number of major retailers last week, chaired by Home Secretary Theresa May.
In announcing the accord on the second day of the Home Offices International Crime and Policing Conference in London, Mrs May said retailers played a “vital role” in the debate.
She added: “I am pleased we have a voluntary agreement with major retailers on a set of principles to prevent the underage sale of knives in their stores and through their websites.
“The agreement means that the retailers will have committed to requiring proof of age at point of purchase, collection or delivery, that knives will be displayed safely and packaged securely, and that staff will receive regular training.
“Knife crime has a devastating impact on victims, families and communities, and I am determined to do all I can to prevent it.
“Knives have no place on our streets.”
The Government plans to work closely with the BRC to get other retailers to commit to the agreement`s principles.
Other retail-linked Government work currently underway includes: legislating to ban so-called zombie-killer knives; a new drug strategy being published in 2016 which will set out how to prevent and tackle drug misuse; publishing a buyers guide for mobile devices which reveals cyber security features to look out for when purchasing or using smartphones and tablets; and a steering group on forecourt crime to stop fuel theft and other crime on garage forecourts.