Latest news with #knifeCrime
Sky News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Southport inquiry live: Impact statements to be heard from survivors' families
Southport murders 'one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history' Speaking on the first day of the inquiry, chair Sir Adrian Fulford said there was a "wholesale and general failure" to address the risks posed by Axel Rudakubana before the Southport attack, which he called "one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history". In his opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall, Sir Adrian told a council chamber packed with legal representatives, lawyers, the media and the public that "ordinary language simply fails to reflect the enormity of what [Rudakubana] did". "None of the most powerful adjectives even begin to suffice. There are no words that adequately describe what occurred and I am not going to try, and then fail, to find them." Sir Adrian said the teenager's "known predilection for knife crime" suggests it was "far from an unforeseeable catastrophic event". The former vice president of the Court of Appeal said Rudakubana's actions "impose the heaviest of burdens" to investigate how it was possible for him to cause "such devastation". The public inquiry, split into two phases, will look into whether the attack could or should have been prevented, given what was known about the killer. Rudakubana had been referred to the government's anti-extremism Prevent scheme three times before the murders, including over research into school shootings and the London Bridge terror attack. He had also accessed online material about explosives, warfare, knives, assassination and an al Qaeda training manual. Sir Adrian said Rudakubana's "unhindered" ability to access "gravely violent material" on the internet speaks to a "wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed". He said he aims to make recommendations to ensure the best chance of stopping others "who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way".
BBC News
02-07-2025
- BBC News
Ninja sword amnesty brought in ahead of ban
Nottinghamshire Police is offering a month-long amnesty for owners of ninja swords before they are 1 August it will be illegal to own, sell, or import ninja swords in England and comes after changes were made when the Crime and Policing Bill went through Parliament earlier this year following campaigning by the family of Ronan Kanda, who was killed in Wolverhampton in 2022.A ninja sword is defined as having a blade between 14in to 24in (35cm to 60cm) in length, with a tanto or reversed tanto-style point and a possible second blade attached at an angle. Nottinghamshire Police said it was offering £5 compensation for each sword handed in to a designated police station during the four-week surrender period if it was purchased before 27 Insp Kylie Davies, the force's knife crime lead, said the amnesty "supports our wider work to tackle knife crime and serious violence"."We welcome this national initiative to help rid our communities of dangerous and offensive weapons and are happy to support it," she said."Every weapon handed in is one less that could be used to cause harm and help to make our communities safer."
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.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- BBC News
Devon and Cornwall Police urge ninja sword surrender before ban
People who possess ninja swords are being urged by police to hand them in during a month-long amnesty before it becomes illegal to own could face four years in prison for having the weapons, 14in to 24in (35cm to 60cm) long, with a tanto-stye point and a possible second blade attached at an angle, from 1 will be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the weapon as part of anti-knife crime measures under Ronan's Law, named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, murdered near his Wolverhampton home in Insp Kevin Morley, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "The reason it's made illegal is it's only really made for one thing - it's made for violence or harm." 'Some tragedies' Ninja swords are being added to the list of already banned blades. Det Insp Morley, the force's deputy knife crime lead, added: "We've seen them over decades on a mantlepiece or used as a display piece."But they now no longer could be used as such in a domestic setting, so please surrender it."He said there had not been "a significant problem with ninja swords being used in Devon and Cornwall" but there had been "some tragedies where people have been caused serious harm by knives and blades".He added people could surrender the weapons at a police station and there was a compensation scheme of £5 or "potentially more" for people who had a receipt. People with such weapons could take advice from the police inquiry office section of the force's website for advice to bring them in, and call 101 "and we'll find a way to help you bring them in securely", officers said. However, they added that, during transportation after an arrangement was made, they should be wrapped securely and not carried "in plain sight".Det Insp Morley added: "We will identify them when they're on our streets and will take them off and will deal with any offences as we find them."
BBC News
30-06-2025
- BBC News
Bedfordshire Crime Commissioner launches new plan to tackle crime
A crime commissioner has launched a summer safer streets scheme to combat anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, knife crime and offences associated with the night Tizard, Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, told BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Andy Collins the "additional police activity" would focus on six hotspots with the "highest level of crime and footfall". The areas include Luton, Bury Park in the city, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade and scheme is part of a Home Office initiative and will run across the county until September. Tizard confirmed the scheme would see "more police and community support officers on the street" and "a community enforcement team that will move across the county between the six areas, as and when necessary".He added: "We are seeing town centres where there was so much going on both in terms of retail, hospitality, culture [and] social activity, but we are finding that people feel unsafe."Often in the late evening and early morning where we were seeing the misuse of drugs and alcohol, and women particularly feeling unsafe on the streets at that time of night."He said the scheme would also be "using modern technology to observe what is going on and CCTV from local authorities as well". Loss of control In a letter to the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police in May, Tom Wootton, the Conservative Mayor of Bedford, said that "town centres in both Bedford and Kempston, feel they are under siege". In his letter he added: "Shoplifting is rampant, anti-social behaviour is unchecked, aggressive begging was intimidating residents and visitors alike."Wootton demanded "an urgent and substantial increase" in officer presence in the borough's town on the letter, Tizard said the mayor "used language I would not have used to describe what was going on in Bedford town centre", but he confirmed Wootton would be involved in the launch of the Bedford element of his summer said that he and the mayor "have the same objective to make Bedford safer" and "whether it is in the urban part of Bedford or the rural part of the borough of Bedford, people should feel safe and get their fair share of policing and other community resources". Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
