Ninja swords to be banned by the summer

Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private after this date could face six months in prison, and this will later increase to two years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill.

There is already a penalty of up to four years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.

The Home Office says the move aims to break the cycle of young people carrying knives and to better protect the public from knife-related crime.

The majority of ninja swords have a blade between 14in and 24in with one straight cutting edge with a tanto-style point.

Ahead of the ban coming into place, the Government, in partnership with law enforcement and members of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime will run a surrender scheme across the country targeting young people most vulnerable to knife crime.

The surrender scheme will run from July 1 to July 31 to allow any member of the public to hand in these weapons safely.

There will also be new safeguards to prevent exploitation of the scheme, so for the first time there will be a cut-off date and no weapons bought after today (March 27) will be eligible for compensation and we will have stronger value checks.

Further guidance will be released advising where a sword can be surrendered if the owner does not wish to visit a local police station or claim compensation. This will offer the greater use of knife surrender bins and their locations.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Knife crime is destroying young lives as too many teenagers are being drawn into violence and it is far too easy for them to get hold of dangerous weapons.

“Ronan Kanda was just 16 when he was ruthlessly killed by two boys only a year older than him. Today we are introducing the final part of Ronan’s law in his memory – banning the ninja swords that his killers should never have been able to use.

“We are acting with urgency to bring forward measures to prevent deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands and will continue to do whatever is needed to prevent young people being killed on our streets as part of our mission to halve knife crime over the next decade.”

Ronan’s mother, Pooja Kanda, said: “Today marks a very important day for us as a family and our campaign.

“Since losing our beautiful boy Ronan, we have relentlessly campaigned for a ban on Ninja swords – the lethal weapon which took his life. We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill. We are so grateful to our government for hearing us and for recognising how important and urgent it is to get these dangerous weapons off our streets. Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan.”

Patrick Green, chief executive officer of the Ben Kinsella Trust, welcomed the decision to ban ninja swords and implementation of Ronan’s Law.

“These weapons, with no practical purpose beyond violence, are simply instruments of war and have absolutely no place in our society or on our streets,” he siad.

“The ease with which such dangerous items have been available has contributed to far too many tragedies.

“The additional measures under Ronan’s Law, designed to hold those who sell these weapons to account, are critical in breaking the supply chain that fuels this violence. We commend the Government for listening to victims’ families, and for taking decisive action.”

Sandra Campbell, chief executive officer, Word 4 Weapons, added: “Word 4 Weapons stands firmly behind the introduction of Ronan’s Law.

“Ronan’s tragic death at the hands of a ninja sword highlights the urgent need to tighten legislation around dangerous weapons, online and otherwise. This law is a crucial step toward reducing violence and protecting lives in our communities.”

The ninja ban forms part of Ronan’s Law, which aims to tackle the online sale of knives.

Last month, the Government announced a series of measures to tackle online sales including a two-step verification process for the sale of knives online and significant fines for executives who fail to remove knife crime content for their platform. It also announced tougher penalties for being caught with a knife in public and for selling a weapon to any person under 18.

Ronan’s Law will also require online retailers to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives to the police. This will apply to all online sales of knives, including those who operate through online marketplaces.

The Government will also be consulting on the introduction of a licensing scheme for retailers who wish to sell knives.