Ban on Zombie knives comes into force in Wales and England today

A ban on the sale, importation and manufacture of zombie knives comes into effect across Wales and England today, Thursday August 18.

The amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 will ban the sale, manufacture, rental or importation of knives often referred to as ‘zombie knives’, ‘zombie killer knives’ and ‘zombie slayer knives’.

The knives can have cutting blades of up to 25 inches, have a serrated edge and include images or words that glamorise violence.

From today anyone caught making or selling zombie knives will now face up to 4 years in prison.

Chief Constable Alf Hitchcock, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Knife Enabled Crime, said:

Zombie knives are absolutely horrific weapons. Forces are determined to reduce the harm caused by these and all other dangerous weapons. There is no place for knife crime within society and this ban is further commitment to keeping communities safe.

Following discussions between the UK government and Northern Ireland Executive, Minister of Justice Claire Sugden has confirmed she will take forward the necessary action to create legislation to ban zombie knives in Northern Ireland.

The Home Office will communicate the ban in England and Wales to frontline border officers, and Border Force will continue enforcing the law around the importation of dangerous weapons, including zombie knives, into the United Kingdom.

The new law comes in addition to government action to address knife crime through an agreement with retailers committing to regular staff training, safely displaying and securely packaging knives, raising public awareness of age restrictions, and robust age verification checks for knife sales whether in-store or online.