Owners of dangerous machetes and similar large-bladed weapons can claim ‘compensation’ if they surrender them to the police before a ban comes in on September 24
Zombie knife attack: this violent incident in Croydon happened in 2018. The ban on zombie knives won’t come in until next month
With the long-promised ban on zombie knives and machetes not due to come into force until late next month, the Metropolitan Police is overseeing a Home Office “amnesty” scheme on the dangerous weapons – with anyone who hands in their knives able to put in a claim for “compensation”.
Croydon, Sutton and Bromley police stations are among the 19 designated collection centres during the zombie knife amnesty period.
The previous Conservative Government had promised to ban the weapons five years ago, but legislation was only enacted in January this year, with the zombie knife ban not coming into force until September 24.
The demand for stricter regulation on these dangerous weapons – which are rarely made for anything other than to cause maximum harm to people – has grown in the past week, following the horrific murder of three children in Southport (where it has been established that the attacker used a kitchen knife) and mass fights in the centre of Southend, where youths and young adults were seen using large-bladed weapons.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We know more must be done to tackle knife crime, which devastates lives. That is why it is one of this government’s priorities to keep young people safe and take back our streets.
“A surrender scheme will enable those who have zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes to hand over their weapons.”
The amnesty scheme will begin on August 26 and run until September 23, the day before the ban comes into force. People surrendering zombie knives and machetes under the scheme can apply for “compensation”, but will have to have kept the receipt…
Give it up: how the Met is publicising the zombie knife amnesty scheme
Zombie-style knives and machetes are defined as having a sharp edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other. While possessing the large-bladed weapons in public is illegal, a loophole means they can be kept and sold if they do not have images depicting violence on their handles.
A change to the Offensive Weapons Act closes that loophole.
According to the Home Office’s latest advice: “The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 adds ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie-style’ machetes to the list of prohibited offensive weapons to which Section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 apply.
“The Surrender and Compensation arrangements… will only apply in England and Wales in respect of ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie-style’ machetes prohibited under Part 2 of the Order.
“If you currently possess any of these items, you will not be permitted to keep them once the relevant provisions in the Order are commenced on 24th September 2024. You should surrender the item(s) to the police.
“If you wish to claim compensation when you surrender the item, the Surrender and Compensation scheme allows you to claim compensation if you meet the eligibility criteria and make a claim in line with the arrangements set out in this guidance and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024.
“The standard compensation amount for each surrendered weapon will be £10, though applicants will be able to claim that the value of their weapon exceeds this amount. For claims for individual items worth over £10, individuals will need to provide acceptable evidence of the value of the item (eg. purchase receipt).
“No compensation will be payable in respect of a claim where the total is less than £30.
“This means that if you have one item to surrender you will not be eligible for compensation, but if you have three items at £10 each, you will be eligible to claim £30 of compensation for the three items.
“Claims for compensation must be made at the same time as surrendering the weapon.
“If you are the owner of one of the soon to be prohibited items, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have transported it safely to the designated police station (where appropriate), surrendered it to the police in good time and, if seeking financial compensation, submitted your claim at the same time as surrendering your item(s).
“It will not be possible to seek compensation at any time after you have surrendered your item, or at any time after the surrender and compensation scheme closes. The scheme will start on 26 August 2024, 00:00hrs and close on 23 September 2024 at 23:59hrs.”
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What kind of bureaucratic nonsense are the provisos that the standard compensation value is £10, unless a purchase receipt can prove higher value? How many purchasers of such items keep the receipts? Are they going to return them if they don’t perform as advertised? Or after single use like a garment from M&S? Are they going to claim the expense on their tax return? Yet the minimum claim is £30. So either multiple items of £10 each or a single item of provable £30 plus value must be submitted to be able to claim. What genius of a bean counter dreamt up this stupidly dysfunctional and discouraging process??? You’d almost think they didn’t want it to work….