Online stores will have to report bulk buys of knives to police in new crackdown

A new law named after a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity will require online shops to report bulk purchases of knives. Ahead of the election last year, Metro revealed exclusively that Labour planned to introduce Ronan’s Law if they formed the next government. It’s hoped the new requirement for online retailers will help police block the illegal resale of blades on social media.

The legislation will also boost the sentence for selling weapons to under-18s from six months to up to two years in prison – which could apply to the buyer or the boss of the company. It comes as the government publishes a review into the sale of knives online which sets out how legal loopholes are playing into the hands of dangerous criminals. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it is ‘horrifying’ how easily young people can get a hold of blades online.

She 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 today 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. ‘We are honouring our commitment to introduce Ronan’s Law in memory of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022.

‘I am so grateful to the Kanda family for their endless perseverance in ensuring governments take the right actions to protect young people from further tragedy.’. ‘Kind-hearted and loving’ teenager Ronan Kanda was attacked on a street in his home town of Wolverhampton on June 29 2022. Ronan, who was not the intended victim of the attack, was just yards away from his home which he shared with his parents and sister when the attack happened.

He was walking back from his friend’s house where he had gone to buy a Playstation controller. Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, both 17, saw Ronan leaving the house where their intended victim lived and assumed he was the boy they were looking for. He was followed and stabbed twice with a ‘vicious’ Ninja knife that Veadhesa had bought online. Both Shergill and Veadhesa fled the scene when they realised they had stabbed the wrong person and disposed of the weapons used and clothing they had been wearing.

In 2023, Veadhesa was jailed for a minimum of 18 years and Shergill for a minimum of 16 years. Pooja Kanda, Ronan’s mother, remembered sitting in the courtroom and being shown a Ninja sword and more than 25 bladed items. She said: ‘Looking at them, I knew my son didn’t stand a chance.’. The weapons used in the attack on her son had been bought illegally online and collected from the Post Office on the day of the attack with no age or identity verification taking place.

Pooja said: ‘A 16-year-old managed to get these weapons online and sold these weapons to other people. ‘I knew we could not go on like this, and our fight for what was right had begun. Proper ID checks by sellers, as well as postal and delivery services, played a crucial role.’. She added: ‘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.’.

A new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence will be introduced as part of the latest measures, with a prison sentence of up to four years. Last August, the government told owners of ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes to give up the lethal weapons or face time behind bars. A new law adding the blades to the list of dangerous prohibited items came into effect on September 24.

Now, the sale or supply of those knives will be subject to the same increased sentence as sales to under-18s. Each of the new measures will be included in the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is set to be introduced in the spring. Commander Stephen Clayman, who carried out the review for the government, said his review, which will be published online today, shows how easy it is for anyone to buy a knife online ‘often avoiding any age verification at all’.

He added: ‘A key focus in our fight to tackle knife crime and improve the safety of our communities is limiting the accessibility of knives wherever possible, restricting their availability and the routes to purchase. ‘All too often in policing, we are dealing with the horrific consequences of knife crime and seeing how it devastates individuals and families.’. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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