News / knife crime
Knives sold to children as young as 13 in police operation
Children as young as 13 were able to purchase knives and bladed articles from shops in a recent test purchase operation by the police.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council Trading Standards said the sales were “hugely concerning”
One in eight retailers failed to abide by the Offensive Weapons Act when volunteer cadets from Avon and Somerset Police aged between 13 to 17 went undercover to test purchase knives.
is needed now More than ever
Cadets visited 80 shops across the Avon and Somerset region, in an attempt to purchase a knife or bladed weapons, including both large retailers and supermarkets and private and independently owned shops.
While the majority of retailers refused to sell, ten retailers unlawfully sold a knife or bladed article to underage cadets, including one instance where a machete-style knife was sold to a young cadet, and another where a retailer failed multiple test purchases on the same day.
The operation came just weeks after Avon and Somerset police sent a letter to retailers urging them to help in the “fight against knife crime”.
The letter, which reminded retailers of their legal responsibility not to sell knives to under-18s, stated: ““We know that many children and young people are purchasing and carrying knives with the false perception that this will keep them safe, when in fact, carrying a knife increases their risk of being involved in violence.
“Knives in the hands of young people can lead to very serious consequences and they are 50 per cent more likely to be a victim of knife crime if they are carrying one themselves.
“This is why we are calling on you, our local retailers, to help play a vital part in breaking this chain. We know a lot of sales likely take place online but where our retailers do sale knives or bladed articles, we urge you to help us prevent these from getting into the wrong hands.”
Police said they were working with Bristol City Council Trading Standards to sanction retailers who failed their test purchase, including prosecutions and providing education programmes.
Mike Vass, who leads the force’s knife crime unit, added: “While we saw a lot of reassuring best practice by many of the stores visited as part of this operation, any knife sold has the potential to bring tragedy to our communities, something we have seen far too much of in recent months.
“We cannot police our way out of knife crime and serious violence on our own, it needs to be a society-wide approach to address and do all we can to tackle this very real threat to young people, which is why we call on our partners and communities to play their part.”
Main photo: Mia Vines Booth
Read next:
- Together for Change – A citywide campaign against knife crime in Bristol
- Police launch operation to tackle knife crime
- ‘We just want our children to be safe’ – mum’s knife crime fears
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
