Latest news with #FaronPaul
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
West Midlands sees new surrender bins and van to fight knife crime
People are being urged to surrender knives as part of a month-long campaign targeting areas of the country with high rates of knife government-led knife surrender, backed by charities Words4Weapons and Fazamnesty, will see 37 weapon collection bins in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London.A mobile knife surrender bin mounted on a van is also being brought in. Faron Paul, who founded Fazamnesty after he survived two knife attacks, said: "This initiative is an important step towards preventing violence, building trust, and supporting our ongoing efforts to create safer, stronger communities for everyone." Speaking to local residents in Coventry, one of the new surrender bin locations, local resident Neil Tigo told the BBC "I don't see the harm in it, but I don't see how much of a dent it will make in actual knife crime."I don't think the people who would be inclined towards knife crime would be the ones putting knives in the bins."Another resident, Haley Treaty, said: "I've got brothers myself and it is a worry when they go out that people are using knives, so I think it's a good thing encouraging people to use the bins."I see what people are saying about it being a waste of money if people are going to carry on using knives anyway, but it's better than nothing."Responding to concerns, Mr Paul said it was about more than just offering people a place to dispose of knives."I've actually seen a lot of people who started out on a path where they had nothing but bad intentions, but after handing in their weapons, they've got additional support and gone on to become better people," he said. Along with the bins already placed across the region, the new ones will be on Far Gosford Street, Coventry and at St Joseph's Church in Wolverhampton. A ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme will also be running at police stations across England and Wales, in preparation for the nationwide ban on 1 a statement, policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "The launch of the scheme is a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, and I'm optimistic about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our Plan for Change." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Home Office spends £60k on van for surrendering ninja swords
The Home Office has spent £60,000 buying a 'weapons surrender' van to tour the UK in an attempt to persuade young people to hand in their ninja swords. The customised van will tour London, Manchester and the West Midlands during July, starting next Tuesday, before a ban on the possession of ninja swords takes effect on Aug 1. The initiative will be fronted by Faron Paul, a knife crime victim turned campaigner. He launched his own amnesty drive to persuade people to give up weapons after being stabbed 18 times in two separate attacks. One of them left him in a coma and with severe nerve damage from which it took years of rehabilitation to recover. The van, customised so that swords and knives can be securely held within it, will be branded with his charity logo, FazAmnesty. Mr Paul has taken 8,000 knives off the streets of London and took part in Sir Keir Starmer's No 10 summit on knife crime in September 2024 alongside actor Idris Elba. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has ordered the new approach because of concerns that young people were deterred by previous amnesty policies which involved taking the weapons to police stations. The Government will also fund 37 weapon 'surrender' bins around the country. The Aug 1 ban will make it illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell ninja swords. Anyone caught in possession of one after that date will face six months in prison, rising to two years under new measures in Labour's crime Bill. It is already an offence to carry a weapon in public, punishable by up to four years in jail. The crackdown is the final part of the anti-knife measures named after Ronan Kanda, 16, who was attacked and killed by two teenagers in a case of mistaken identity close to his home in Wolverhampton in June 2022. His killers had bought a set of swords and a machete on the internet. Ninja swords – which have a blade between 14 and 24 inches long with one straight cutting edge with a tanto-style point – have been linked to the surge in knife crime. There were more than 50,000 knife offences in England and Wales in the past year, close to the record high of 2019. London, Manchester and the West Midlands have been chosen for the surrender as three areas with the highest knife crime rates. The £60,000 has paid for the van and its conversion to include a surrender bin securely bolted into the van, secure storage cabinets for laptops and radios, storage for stab-proof vests, extra deadlocks on rear doors for added security and secondary battery to allow equipment to be charged. Any ninja swords or knives surrendered to Mr Paul will be taken to the nearest police station every evening to be destroyed. Only Mr Paul and his team will be manning the van, with local police on call if there are any problems. 'This van allows us to take our mission directly to the people, giving them a safe, secure and discreet way to hand in offensive weapons,' he said. 'For years, we've worked tirelessly to remove knives and other weapons from our streets, and this van is a major step forward in that mission. It's more than just a vehicle, it's a symbol of hope, change and second chances. 'This is about saving lives, protecting our communities and breaking the cycle of violence. I'm incredibly proud of how far we've come and this is only the beginning.' Under the scheme owners of ninja swords will be paid a minimum of £5 to surrender their weapons – but only if they can prove they were bought before the end of March. Some could recoup the full value of the blades if they can provide police with receipts as well as showing they were bought before a legal ban was announced.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Telegraph
Ninja sword owners offered £5 compensation to hand in blades
Owners of ninja swords will be paid a minimum of £5 to surrender their weapons – but only if they can prove they were bought before the end of March. Some could even recoup the full value of the blades, if they can provide police with receipts as well as showing they were bought before a legal ban was announced. The Government said on March 27 that the 14 to 24-inch weapons would be prohibited from Aug 1, as part of Ronan's law, a package of anti-knife crime measures. Ministers are legally obliged to run surrender schemes when proscribing weapons and have tightened the rules in an attempt to prevent the Home Office being scammed by people offloading swords bought after the ban was announced. Owners who wish to remain anonymous will be able to leave their weapons in 37 Home Office-funded surrender bins and will not receive compensation. The bins have been specially designed to take ninja swords and placed in locations where 45 per cent of knife crime in England and Wales takes place. An anti-knife crime campaigner is set to drive a fortified 'amnesty van' across the country to encourage young people to hand over the illegal weapons ahead of the ban taking effect. Faron Paul will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in July to help get rid of dangerous blades. The surrender bins and the tour are designed to make it easier for owners of the weapons to hand them in, after concerns that many would be reluctant to take swords into police stations. Mr Paul became a campaigner against knife crime after being stabbed 18 times in two separate attacks. One incident left him in a coma and with severe nerve damage, for which he needed years of rehabilitation. Through his charity FazAmnesty, he has taken more than 8,000 knives from the streets of London. Illegal to possess or sell The Aug 1 ban will make it illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell ninja swords. Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private after that date will face six months in prison, rising to two years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill currently before Parliament. It is already an offence to carry such a weapon in public, punishable by up to four years in jail. The crackdown is the final part of the anti-knife measures named after Ronan Kanda, 16, who was attacked and killed by two teenagers in a case of mistaken identity close to his home in Wolverhampton in June 2022. His killers had bought a set of swords and a machete on the internet. Ninja swords – which have a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches long with one straight cutting edge with a tanto-style point – have been linked to the surge in knife crime. There were more than 50,000 knife offences in England and Wales in the past year, close to the record high of 2019. Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, said: 'This Government is taking a different approach to tackling knife crime – one rooted in partnership with those who have first-hand experience of this devastating crime. 'We are committed to halving knife crime within a decade as part of our Plan for Change – and that demands bold, radical action. 'That is why we formed the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, not as a talking shop, but as a genuine working partnership and these new initiatives are a direct result of that collaboration. 'I'm deeply grateful to Faron Paul and Sandra Campbell for their leadership in driving them forward. 'We know that young people involved in crime can have complex pasts and often deep-rooted mistrust in authority, and I truly believe it's this kind of collaboration that will save young lives.'
Rhyl Journal
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Knife amnesty van to tour parts of country ahead of ninja sword ban
As part of the Government's new knife surrender scheme, campaigner Faron Paul will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in July to help get rid of dangerous blades. The Home Office is also funding 37 new surrender bins, made by charity Word 4 Weapons, across the same locations where 45% of knife crime in England and Wales takes place. It comes as a ban on ninja swords campaigned for by the family of murdered teenager Ronan Kanda is set to come into force from August 1. It will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the weapon as part of anti-knife crime measures introduced under Ronan's Law. Ronan's mother Pooja Kanda has campaigned for a law change since the death of her 16-year-old son, who was yards away from his Wolverhampton home when he was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022. Anyone handing in a ninja sword can claim compensation of £5 – the wholesale price of the weapon – if they return it to a designated police station. The new surrender bins have been purpose-built to cater for larger weapons such as ninja swords, and 33 will be placed across London, two in the West Midlands and two in Greater Manchester. Mr Paul's van is also specifically built for the task and will be supported by police officers on the move. The anti-knife crime campaigner and chief executive of FazAmnesty uses social media to raise awareness of the consequences of carrying knives after surviving two life-threatening attacks himself. Mr Paul said: 'The launch of the UK's first-ever amnesty van is a historic moment – not just for FazAmnesty, but for communities across the country. 'In partnership with the Home Office, this van allows us to take our mission directly to the people, giving them a safe, secure, and discreet way to hand in offensive weapons. 'It's more than just a vehicle – it's a symbol of hope, change, and second chances. 'This is about saving lives, protecting our communities, and breaking the cycle of violence.' It will be illegal to have a ninja sword after August 1, and anyone caught with one could face six months in prison, set to increase to two years under plans in the Crime and Policing Bill. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'This Government is taking a different approach to tackling knife crime – one rooted in partnership with those who have first-hand experience of this devastating crime. 'We know that young people involved in crime can have complex pasts and often deep-rooted mistrust in authority, and I truly believe it's this kind of collaboration that will save young lives.'
ITV News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Knife amnesty van to tour parts of country ahead of ninja sword ban
A knife crime activist is set to drive across the country in an 'amnesty van' to encourage young people to hand over illegal weapons ahead of a fresh ban on ninja swords. As part of the Government's new knife surrender scheme, campaigner Faron Paul will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in July to help get rid of dangerous blades. The Home Office is also funding 37 new surrender bins, made by charity Word 4 Weapons, across the same locations where 45% of knife crime in England and Wales takes place. It comes as a ban on ninja swords campaigned for by the family of murdered teenager Ronan Kanda is set to come into force from August 1. It will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the weapon as part of anti-knife crime measures introduced under Ronan's Law. Ronan's mother Pooja Kanda has campaigned for a law change since the death of her 16-year-old son, who was yards away from his Wolverhampton home when he was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022. Anyone handing in a ninja sword can claim compensation of £5 – the wholesale price of the weapon – if they return it to a designated police station. The new surrender bins have been purpose-built to cater for larger weapons such as ninja swords, and 33 will be placed across London, two in the West Midlands and two in Greater Manchester. Mr Paul's van is also specifically built for the task and will be supported by police officers on the move. The anti-knife crime campaigner and chief executive of FazAmnesty uses social media to raise awareness of the consequences of carrying knives after surviving two life-threatening attacks himself. Mr Paul said: 'The launch of the UK's first-ever amnesty van is a historic moment – not just for FazAmnesty, but for communities across the country. 'In partnership with the Home Office, this van allows us to take our mission directly to the people, giving them a safe, secure, and discreet way to hand in offensive weapons. 'It's more than just a vehicle – it's a symbol of hope, change, and second chances. 'This is about saving lives, protecting our communities, and breaking the cycle of violence.' It will be illegal to have a ninja sword after August 1, and anyone caught with one could face six months in prison, set to increase to two years under plans in the Crime and Policing Bill. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'This Government is taking a different approach to tackling knife crime – one rooted in partnership with those who have first-hand experience of this devastating crime. 'We know that young people involved in crime can have complex pasts and often deep-rooted mistrust in authority, and I truly believe it's this kind of collaboration that will save young lives.'
