UK retailers and online marketplaces are being urged to strengthen safeguards around the sale, display and advertising of knives as the government steps up efforts to prevent dangerous weapons from reaching young people and reduce knife crime.
Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones brought together law enforcement agencies, major retailers, online marketplaces, trade associations, Trading Standards, the Advertising Standards Authority and knife crime campaigners at two summits on Thursday, 8 October, to discuss practical measures that could make knife sales safer across the UK. The government says businesses need to take greater responsibility for how knives are marketed, displayed and sold, particularly online.
The focus on online advertising follows concerns from campaigners that irresponsible marketing, including promotional material that presents knives through themes of combat and violence, can contribute to unhealthy fixations with violence. The issue was also highlighted in the report following the first phase of the public inquiry into the murders of three young girls in Southport in July 2024.
At the first summit, online retailers and marketplaces were challenged over how they ensure knife listings comply with the law and what additional measures they can introduce to prevent knives being marketed irresponsibly. The discussions come as the government continues to implement wider measures aimed at closing loopholes in the online sale of knives and strengthening protections for children and young people.
The second summit focused on traditional high street retailers and other businesses with physical shops. Companies were urged to improve how knives are displayed and sold and to support a renewed Responsible Retailers’ Scheme, a voluntary code designed to promote safer and more responsible practices when selling and displaying knives.
Government tells retailers to take greater responsibility
Sarah Jones said knife crime continues to cause devastating consequences for victims, families and communities, and argued that businesses involved in selling knives have an important role to play in preventing harm.
“Businesses and online retailers need to take a hard look at how knives are marketed, sold and displayed, and take every possible step to prevent irresponsible sales,” she said.
The minister said progress had already been made but called on businesses to go further to prevent dangerous knives from reaching people who may use them to cause harm.
The government already has a voluntary agreement with major retailers covering the responsible sale of knives. The agreement includes age verification, staff training and measures to ensure knives are displayed and packaged securely. Retailers are expected to ensure knives are not supplied to people under 18 and to take steps to reduce the risk of theft or immediate access to knives in stores.
The latest summits are intended to build on those arrangements and strengthen the industry’s approach to knife sales, particularly in areas where online marketplaces and advertising create additional challenges.
Campaigners call for tougher action on knife advertising
Campaigners who have spent years working to reduce knife crime were among those invited to the discussions.
Leanne Lucas, a teacher who survived the Southport attack and later founded the knife crime campaign group Let’s Be Blunt, called for greater responsibility throughout the entire lifecycle of a knife, from its design and manufacture through to marketing, display, sale, storage and access.
Lucas argued that retailers need to take responsibility not only for the products they stock but also for the way those products are presented to customers. She also called for better training and support for staff responsible for selling knives.
Her campaign has pushed for stronger safeguards around the sale and marketing of knives, including ordinary pointed-tip kitchen knives, which can have legitimate household uses but can also become weapons when used for violence.
Alan Bacon, founder of No Point Knives, also addressed retailers at the summit. Bacon’s mother, Tracy, was stabbed and killed in 2015, and he has spent years campaigning for safer knife displays and sales practices in shops.
Bacon said the summits represented an opportunity to bring evidence from campaigners directly to the retail industry and encourage businesses to make meaningful changes to the way knives are sold.
Police say retailers have a role in preventing knife crime
The National Knife Crime Centre also took part in the discussions, with its head and National Police Chiefs’ Council knife crime lead, Commander Stephen Clayman, stressing that police cannot tackle knife-enabled crime alone.
Clayman said tackling the problem requires cooperation between police, government agencies, businesses, communities and other partners. He highlighted concerns about illegal supply through unregulated markets and the importation of prohibited weapons from countries where different laws apply.
However, he also pointed to legitimate retailers and online marketplaces as an important part of the prevention effort, particularly when it comes to reducing children’s access to dangerous weapons.
The National Knife Crime Centre is continuing work with the Home Office on recommendations from the 2025 independent review of online knife sales. That review identified weaknesses in the online market and made recommendations aimed at making it harder for young people to obtain knives and offensive weapons.
What is Ronan’s Law?
The latest government action forms part of a wider strategy known as Ronan’s Law, named in memory of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was killed in Wolverhampton in 2022.
The government has described Ronan’s Law as a major crackdown on online knife sales. Measures include stronger age verification requirements, action against suspicious and bulk purchases, and tougher penalties for businesses or individuals who illegally sell knives to people under 18.
The wider government plan also includes efforts to restrict access to prohibited weapons, strengthen policing and prevention programmes, and target areas experiencing higher levels of serious violence. The government’s stated ambition is to halve knife crime in England and Wales.
The issue of online sales is particularly important because previous investigations have highlighted how young people could exploit weaknesses in age verification when purchasing knives and other weapons. The government has therefore been seeking stronger controls at both the point of sale and delivery.
The latest discussions with retailers suggest that ministers want businesses to do more than simply comply with the minimum legal requirements. The emphasis is increasingly on preventing irresponsible marketing and making it more difficult for knives to be accessed by children and young people.
Why the changes matter to families across the UK
Knife crime is not only a policing issue. It can affect families, schools, businesses and communities, meaning the government’s focus on prevention is also likely to be closely watched by parents and community groups.
For families, the online environment is particularly important because children and teenagers can encounter knife-related content through social media, online marketplaces and other digital platforms. The government and campaigners are increasingly looking at how products are presented online alongside the controls governing their actual sale.
The latest summits therefore place responsibility on several parts of the system at the same time. Retailers must consider what they sell and how they display it, online platforms must strengthen safeguards around listings, regulators and Trading Standards must enforce existing rules, while police and government agencies continue to tackle illegal supply and serious violence.
For Nigerian families living across the UK, the government’s latest push on knife sales is particularly relevant to parents raising children and teenagers in British towns and cities. Nigerian parents often balance cultural expectations from home with the realities their children face in UK schools, neighbourhoods and online spaces. Conversations about knife crime, peer pressure, online content and personal safety can therefore become an important part of protecting young people before they are exposed to serious violence.
The issue is also relevant to Nigerian-owned shops and businesses that sell household, DIY or other products that may include knives. The government’s renewed focus means retailers need to pay close attention to age verification, staff training, secure storage and responsible advertising. Existing government guidance already requires participating retailers to take measures to prevent underage sales and to ensure knives are safely displayed and packaged.
For Nigerian communities in areas where serious violence is a concern, the message from the summit is that preventing knife crime is not solely the responsibility of the police. Parents, schools, retailers, community organisations and young people all have a role in reducing opportunities for dangerous weapons to reach children and preventing violence before it happens.
Chijos News will continue to follow changes to UK knife crime policy and what they mean for Nigerian families, young people, workers and business owners living across Britain.
