London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the Government to expedite the introduction of long-promised legislation to ban zombie-style knives and machetes as soon as Parliament reconvenes, London Live reported.
In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Khan expressed his approval of the government’s announcements on this issue but emphasized the urgency of enacting this legislation and the need to strengthen it.
Khan pointed out several loopholes in the current proposals that need immediate closure.
According to London Live, the Government’s proposals still permit machete-style knives with “legitimate use,” such as for work or leisure. Khan argued that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of these knives for such purposes, suggesting that they are primarily acquired to cause harm, violence, and intimidation.
Statistics from Statista indicate that the number of knife or sharp instrument offences recorded by the police in London rose to approximately 12,786 in 2022/23, up from 11,122 the previous year. This marked the highest number of knife crime offences reported in London since 2019/20, when there were 15,928.
