Stricter checks for online knife purchases to be introduced
Stricter checks for online knife purchases to be introduced
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The government has confirmed retailers selling knives online will require ID to purchase and also on delivery. After it emerged Southport killer Axel Rudakubana bought the knife he used to kill three young girls from Amazon when he was just 17 years old, the government has brought forward changes to online knife sales.
A person buying a knife online will now have to submit a copy of their photo ID, such as a drivers' licence or passport, as well as proof of address, such as a utility bill. They will then have to show ID again when the package is delivered. Politics latest: Rachel Reeves 'absolutely happy' to look at joining EU customs group.
The Home Office said online retailers could ask for buyers to submit a current photo or video of themselves alongside their ID. However, this will not be legally required. Delivery drivers will only be allowed to deliver a knife to the same person who purchased it.
It will also be illegal for delivery drivers to leave a package containing a bladed weapon on a doorstep when nobody is in to receive it. Currently, the law requires sellers to operate an age verification system that is likely to prevent a person under 18 from buying a knife - but it does not stipulate the details of how those systems should be implemented.
The new requirements are set to be included in the Crime and Policing Bill, expected to be introduced to parliament by spring. Following Rudakubana's unexpected guilty plea this week, Amazon said it had launched an investigation. The child murderer circumvented Amazon's current checks, which include a name, address and birthdate being checked by credit checker Experian, by using encrytion software.
