Changes to the Offensive Weapons Act
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Changes to legislation in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 mean that from today (July 14) it is now an offence to possess certain items such as knuckledusters, throwing stars and zombie knives, even in private.
Other sections of the act that will commence today include an updated definition of flick knives to reflect changes in weapon designs, and the banning of private possession of flick knives and gravity knives.
The rest of the act will commence later in the year, and will bring in new provisions for the control of goods sold online, as well as placing responsibility onto delivery companies to conduct age verification at delivery stage.
These are important developments that will help us to address the growing issue of online sale of knives.
Police and partners will be working to educate the public and the business community regarding these changes in legislation.
The introduction of such measures will provide us with further means to help deter young people from becoming involved in knife possession and knife crime.