Stricter checks for online knife purchases to be introduced
The government has confirmed retailers selling knives online will require ID to purchase and also on delivery.
After it emerged Southport killer Axel Rudakubana bought the knife he used to kill three young girls from Amazon when he was just 17 years old, the government has brought forward planned changes to online knife sales.
A person buying a knife online will now have to submit a copy of their photo ID, such as a driver’s licence or passport, as well as proof of address, such as a utility bill.
They will then have to show ID again when the package is delivered.
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The Home Office said online retailers could ask for buyers to submit a current photo or video of themselves alongside their ID. However, this will not be legally required.
Delivery drivers will only be allowed to deliver a knife to the same person who purchased it.
It will also be illegal for delivery drivers to leave a package containing a bladed weapon on a doorstep when nobody is in to receive it.
Currently, the law requires sellers to operate an age verification system that is likely to prevent a person under 18 from buying a knife – but it does not stipulate the details of how those systems should be implemented.
The new requirements are set to be included in the Crime and Policing Bill, expected to be introduced to parliament by spring.
Following Rudakubana’s unexpected guilty plea this week, Amazon said it had launched an investigation.
The child murderer circumvented Amazon’s current checks, which include a name, address and birthdate being checked by credit checker Experian, by using encryption software to buy two chef’s knives with 20cm blades.
It is understood one of Rudakubana’s parents took in the parcel – addressed to him – with the Amazon delivery driver confirming they were over 25.
The world’s largest online retailer said it takes its “responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products – extremely seriously”.
Currently, when purchasing a knife from Amazon the buyer has to enter their date of birth.
They are told: “Valid photographic ID with a date of birth may also be required upon delivery.
“The driver will input your year of birth into their device and may then require an ID check to complete the age verification process.”
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Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King were murdered in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It’s a total disgrace how easy it still is for children to get dangerous weapons online.
“More than two years after Ronan Kanda was killed with a ninja sword bought by a teenager online, too many retailers still don’t have proper checks in place.
“It’s too easy to put in false birth dates, parcels are too often being dropped off at a doorstop with no questions asked.
“We cannot go on like this. We need much stronger checks – before you buy, before it’s delivered.
“The measures I am setting out today will be crucial in addressing this problem and are part of our Plan for Change and mission to make streets safer.”