Stricter laws over the online sale of knives and tougher penalties for retailers who break them have been welcomed by West Midlands Police Federation.

However, branch secretary Tim Rogers said successive governments have waited ‘far too long’ to target the online availability of the weapons.

He said: “West Midlands has been the country’s knife crime capital for far too long.

“As a Federation, we’ve long been calling for a clampdown on the laws around the online sale of knives and their marketing to young people - but the pace of change in their regulation has been too slow.

Much-needed changes

“These changes are welcome, but sadly for many young people they have come far too late.”

Jess Davies, acting branch chair, said that as the mother of an 11-year-old son, the law changes were ‘positive and much needed’.

She said: “It is a sad fact that we are living in times where, not only are knives the go-to weapon but, even more disturbing, it is now resulting in children on children murders.

“Knife crime is an absolute priority of our chief constable and deputy chief constable. More of our officers are now equipped with Taser, so I believe we are in a much stronger position to face this new reality.”

The new measures are known as Ronan’s Law in honour of Ronan Kanda who was 16 when he was tragically killed in 2022 in a case of mistaken identity near his home in Wolverhampton.

Ronan’s killers, who were also teenagers, illegally bought lethal weapons online and collected them from the Post Office on the day of the attack, with no age or identity verification taking place.

It was later revealed that one of Ronan’s teenage killers had bought more than 20 knives online, including by using his mother’s ID.

West Midlands Police Federation has long been a vocal campaigner on knife crime.

Knife crime

The branch has called for a multi-pronged approach to knife crime with a focus on prevention, deterrents - including tougher sentences - and on making it as difficult as possible for people to access bladed-weapons, including a ban on online sales and their marketing to young people.

Jess added: “The follow on from this new law has got to be communicating with our youth. Working in partnership with schools and colleges is going to be even more important than ever.”

The government’s new measures aim to close lethal loopholes in the online sale of knives.

Retailers will be required to report any bulk or suspicious-looking purchases of knives on their platforms to police to prevent illegal resales happening across social media accounts.

Sentences

The sentence for selling weapons to under 18s will increase from six months in prison to up to two years, which could apply to an individual who has processed the sale or a CEO of the company.

A new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill which will come with a prison sentence of up to four years.

The government will also consult on introducing a registration scheme for all online retailers selling knives. 

Tim said: “All too often our members who have seen the devastation that knife violence causes and anything that makes it more difficult for young people to get their hands on these weapons has to be welcomed.”

Ronan’s mother Pooja and sister Nikita have also campaigned to restrict young people’s access to weapons online and to protect other families from the same heartbreak.

Ronan's Law

Pooja said: “We have so much work to tackle knife crime; this is a much-needed beginning. 

“This part of Ronan’s Law will provide much-needed barriers against knife crime. I wish this was done years ago, and my son would be with me today.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Not enough has been done to tackle the online market over recent years which is why we made it an urgent priority in our manifesto and the measures will be underpinned by investment for a new dedicated police unit to go after those who are breaking the law and putting children and teenagers lives at risk.”

Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, said: “We welcome the government’s commitment in working with policing and partners to tackle knife crime and these new measures will significantly enhance our response to this.”

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