Retailers in Stone and across Staffordshire are being reminded of their legal responsibilities as part of a campaign aimed at reducing knife crime and preventing knives from being sold to children.
Trading Standards officers from Staffordshire County Council are working with Staffordshire Police during May as part of the ongoing #DitchTheBlade campaign.
Officers will be visiting retailers across the county to raise awareness of the law and provide advice on responsible knife sales. Businesses are being reminded that knives must not be sold to anyone under the age of 18, and that staff should check photo ID carefully if there is any doubt about a customer’s age.
Retailers are also being advised to store knives securely so they are not openly accessible in stores.
Businesses selling knives online are being reminded that they must have effective age verification checks at the point of sale, and delivery arrangements must prevent products being supplied to under 18s.
Anthony Screen, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Resilience at Staffordshire County Council, said
“Knife crime is a serious concern for communities and preventing knives from reaching children and young people is a crucial part of tackling that harm at source.
“Our Trading Standards officers work closely with Staffordshire Police to support businesses to understand and meet their legal responsibilities. Most retailers want to do the right thing and officers will always provide advice and guidance where needed.
“However, selling a knife to someone under 18 is a criminal offence. Where businesses persistently fail to follow the law, we will not hesitate to take formal enforcement action, including prosecution.
“This means we can create a safer and stronger Staffordshire for everyone, which is a key aim of our recently published Community Safety Strategy.”
Chief Inspector Dave Barrow, Staffordshire Police’s force knife crime lead, said
“Young people having access to knives can have devastating consequences in our communities; not only on individuals, but their families and wider network.
“Though it is illegal to sell knives to children and anyone under the age of 18, a small minority of businesses can be found to be breaking the law by not carrying out the required checks.
“That is why we continue to support our partners at Trading Standards as part of our ongoing #DitchtheBlade campaign, to protect young people and businesses from the impact of accessing knives.
“We hope that by continuing to raise awareness of the impact of knife-related offences, we can prevent young people from accessing them and further protect our communities from harm.”
Trading Standards will also carry out proactive checks to make sure retailers are complying with the law. The work will focus on independent retailers and forms part of the service’s wider programme of age restricted sales enforcement.
Anyone concerned about the illegal sale of knives can report it to Trading Standards through Staffordshire County Council’s Report It webpage, by calling 01785 330356, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Staffordshire Police says the Ditch the Blade campaign supports wider work to tackle knife crime through education, prevention and community awareness.
