In the United Kingdom, since midnight on September 24, it has been illegal to own a stylized knife, a ” zombie blade “A law passed by the former Conservative government has just come into force to combat the increase in knife attacks. Attacks have doubled in five years. The authorities hope to close the legislative gap that has allowed them to proliferate.
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With our correspondent in London, Emeline Vin
Since this Tuesday, September 24, United Kingdomit is illegal to sell, buy, or possess machetes and zombie blades, a type of stylized knife inspired by television series, with a blade longer than 20 cm, often serrated. A knife supposedly so dangerous that it could kill a zombie, hence the name.
Until now, only knives decorated with designs inciting violence were banned. This Tuesday, September 24, marks the end of the one-month amnesty period. Holders of these types of weapons could file at a police station without risking prosecution.
Weapons often called into question
Zombie machetes and blades appear regularly in the news. On September 22, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in London with a zombie knife. Authorities have only been recording their use for less than two years, so they lack perspective. But in 2023, 14,000 crimes (assaults, rapes and homicides) involved these bladed weapons in England and Wales.
However, the many associations that raise awareness of the dangers of knives, often families of very young victims, fear that the new law will not be enough and that young people will turn to other types of weapons such as kitchen knives, which are impossible to regulate.