Latest news with #FazAmnesty
ITV News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Mum of murdered Ronan Kanda, 16, pleads to surrender ninja swords before ban
The mother of a teenager murdered with a ninja sword is pleading with people to give up their weapons before a ban comes into force so 'children can walk home without fear'. A national Surrender and Compensation scheme is being launched for ninja swords in July, ahead of the ban from August 1. Under Ronan's Law, it will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the knives. The law is named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was yards away from his Wolverhampton home when he was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022, in a case of mistaken identity. His family and mother Pooja Kanda have been campaigning for the ban since his death. Ms Kanda said: 'It has been three years since Ronan's life was tragically taken as a result of the wounds inflicted by a ninja sword. 'Since then, we have relentlessly campaigned for ninja swords to be taken off the streets as they have no place in society. 'The Government has now introduced a much-needed ban on ninja swords, and we encourage those in possession to surrender them to make the community a safer place where children can walk home without fear.' As part of the Government's new knife surrender scheme, anti-knife crime campaigner Faron Paul, of FazAmnesty, will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in an 'amnesty van' to help get rid of dangerous blades. Mr Paul added: 'By taking this service directly into communities, I hope we can reach more individuals, encourage positive decisions, and help reduce the number of harmful items on our streets.' 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. Anyone handing in a ninja sword can also claim compensation of £5 – the wholesale price of the weapon – if they return it to a designated police station. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'The launch of today's 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. 'This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime. 'We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime.'
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Ronan's Law: Pooja Kanda says give up ninja swords ahead of ban
The mother whose teenage son was murdered with a ninja sword is calling for the weapons to be surrendered before a ban comes into force, so that "children can walk home without fear".A weapon-surrender scheme is being launched for the blades next month, ahead of the ban from 1 that date it will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the ninja swords, as part of anti-knife crime measures introduced under Ronan's legislative change is named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was yards away from his Wolverhampton home when he was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022, in a case of mistaken identity. His family and mother Pooja have been campaigning for the ban since he died, as he made his way home after buying a PlayStation controller from a friend."It has been three years since Ronan's life was tragically taken as a result of the wounds inflicted by a ninja sword," Ms Kanda said."Since then, we have relentlessly campaigned for ninja swords to be taken off the streets as they have no place in society."The government has now introduced a much-needed ban on ninja swords, and we encourage those in possession to surrender them to make the community a safer place where children can walk home without fear." As part of the government's weapon-surrender scheme, anti-knife crime campaigner Faron Paul, of FazAmnesty, will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in an "amnesty van" to help get the blades off the Paul added: "By taking this service directly into communities, I hope we can reach more individuals, encourage positive decisions, and help reduce the number of harmful items on our streets." 'We will not stop listening' 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 handing in a ninja sword can also claim compensation of £5 - the wholesale price of the weapon - if they return it to a designated police minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "The launch of today's 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."This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime."We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country 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.
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.'
