Nationwide 'zombie-style' weapons surrender campaign begins in UK

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – Police in the UK are urging owners of “zombie-style” knives and machetes to hand them in as part of a national month-long campaign launched by the government on Monday.

The soon-to-be-outlawed bladed weapons can be surrendered at stations in England and Wales.

The government announced on Aug. 19 that from Sept. 23, it will be a criminal offence to possess “zombie-style” knives and machetes in the UK.

There will be a "surrender period" from Aug. 26 to Sept. 23, during which time financial compensation will be provided for each knife handed in.

“Zombie-style” knives and machetes will be added to the list of dangerous prohibited items already banned, including butterfly knives, Samurai swords and push daggers.

After the deadline, anyone caught with such knives or machetes faces time behind bars.

"Implementing a ban on zombie-style knives is just the first step in our ambitious, dedicated plan to halve knife crime within a decade and will closely be followed by making ninja swords illegal," Policing Minister Diana Johnson said earlier in a statement.

According to the government, the next steps will include further bans, stronger rules to stop online sales, and tough action to stop young people being drawn into crime.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending March 2024 increased by 4% with 50,510 offences compared with year ending March 2023 (48,409 offences) in England and Wales, excluding Greater Manchester Police.