A NEW law will make it illegal for anyone under 18 to buy a knife. It will be tougher than the UK’s as the Home Department does not want to include an exemption covering kitchen knives.
‘The majority of knife-related offences committed by minors in the UK involve kitchen knives and an exemption would undermine the strong message that this legislation is intended to convey,’ said minister Geoff Mahy.
There is no law at all at the moment and, theoretically, anyone can go into a shop and buy a knife without showing ID. Home will ask the States at the end of the month to accept its recommendations, which would also tackle the marketing of knives and other pointed weapons and give police more powers to stop and search someone they suspect to be carrying a knife.
It is felt the marketing of some items suggests they are suitable for combat and stimulate or encourage violent behaviour. ‘The department fully appreciates that legislation cannot, by itself, prevent somebody from using a knife to injure another person,’ said Deputy Mahy. ‘However, it contends that the proposals set out in the report are a proportionate response to concerns about an apparent trend among some young people to carry knives or other bladed weapons.’
Police chief George Le Page has been consulted and would like to see strong legislation controlling the sale and marketing of knives.
‘The department shares the chief officer of police’s concerns and is conscious that although incidents involving the unlawful use of knives are relatively few, the consequences can, and indeed in recent times have, resulted in the most tragic of outcomes,’ said Deputy Mahy.
It is just under two years since Guernsey’s most high profile knife incident took place and Craig Rouget murdered James Dean in the High Street.
In London, 19 teenagers have been killed this year, three-quarters of them through stabbings.
Deputy Mahy said the department was fully aware that knives were freely and easily accessible.
‘They are common household instruments and anybody intent on unlawfully carrying a knife needs to do little more than open a kitchen drawer. However, the department concluded, on balance, that the introduction of a minimum age when somebody could lawfully purchase a knife could serve to raise awareness to the potential harm that a knife, in the wrong hands, can cause.’
The department expects the ‘proof of age’ card now available through the Drug and Alcohol Strategy, which is designed primarily for proof of age to buy alcohol, to be asked for by retailers to help overcome any difficulties they might encounter.
Article posted on 11th July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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8 Article Comments
What a fantastic law. Because after all, if you can’t buy a knife in a shop, it’s not as though you can go home and find one there in a kitchen drawer, or in a garage tool box, or in a craft lesson at school…
well i think it gonna work as everyone has got knifes at home and they can get them there how many more people we have to lose?? nothing is gonna stop someone if thats what they want to do and its a shame that so many family have to suffer . i have lost two people of my family tho a knife or beaten this island is gettin worse.
Good point James….Law has been in place for ages here in uk. still stabbings on a daily basis in our big citys!!!
I do know both the families involved in the stabbing incident, and it a very sad case for everyone BUT the horse has bolted, NO-One is going to forget this case in a hurry.
While some knives have absolutely no place in public in a civilised society, this law is nuts. I am 40 years old and have noticed an anti-young person, anti-knife obcession on this island. It has has gone too far, as a knee jerk reaction to the point where personal freedom has been decimated yet again. How are young people supposed to perform valuable learning and social activities like Scouting, Camping, Safe Scuba Diving and Duke of Edinborough activities all of which benefit from genuine and legitimate use of knives. We would be far better off if we legalise the carrying of hand guns for personal protection in public to even the odds up a bit.
It’s very simple, The Mr Mahy and Police are hyping up the Guernsey knife culture, the gang warfare and 100’s knife crimes in the Islands. So it justifies them asking for stop & search rights with out a warrant or justification…. That the truth of the matter.. I just wish they would be honest about it.. Instead of all this spin doctoring
This island does not need to bring in more laws. There are already laws in place to deal with people found in possession of knives or any other weapon. As others have stated knives are easily obtained.
Many people (youngsters included) use knives on a daily basis for work or leisure as stated above. Are we to stop all our teenagers going fishing for example? A fish hook could be just as lethal after all……..
The law officers have much more important jobs to deal with.
We have well established and comprehensive laws already covering knives. It would be therefore fruitless to suggest the implementation of any others. My only criticism with those in place is the use of political correctness.
Police have the power of stop and search now without reason but it cannot be due to ‘prejudice’ (i.e. appearance or age).
Logically and practically the police must search people based on some sort of prejudice about the intent of or items belonging to a person.
If you see a bunch of low life looking angry in a dark street it would probably be pertinent to search them for illegal drugs, knives, and even guns.
I Scuba Dive and as such a diving knife is invaluable as a safety device. However, I am extremely concerned that if I were stopped it would be difficult to justify carrying what outwardly looks like a combat knife to an uninformed policeman.
Living in a civilised society requires just that; civilty. Human beings have evolved to be more than capable of killing if they possess the will and the law can usually only deal with picking up the pieces.