The Prevention of Crime Act 1953
Prohibits the carrying of any offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. A public place includes private premises to which the public have access. An offensive weapon is defined as any article made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person, or intended by the person for such use. Maximum penalty: Six months imprisonment and/or £5000 fine.
The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959
Prohibited the manufacture, sale, hire or offer for sale or hire, and importation of flick knives and gravity knives. Maximum penalty: Six months imprisonment and/or £5000 fine.
The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 1988
Created an offence of having an article with a blade or point in a public place without good reason or lawful excuse. An exemption applies to folding pocket knives with a blade of less that three inches. (In my view this is a nonsense…three inches ‘kills‘. This was proven to be the size of the knife that killed Westley). Maximum penalty: Up to two years imprisonment.
CJA 1988 also prohibited the manufacture, sale, hire, offer for sale or hire of a range of weapons specified in the Criminal Justice Act (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988. These are mainly items designed to cause serious injury, for example knuckledusters, handclaws and certain Martial Arts equipment, or those which can be easily concealed, including swordsticks. Maximum penalty: Six months imprisonment and/or £5000 fine.
Offensive Weapons Act 1996 - amended the 1988 Act
To prohibit the sale of knives and certain articles with a blade or point to persons under the age of 16. Maximum penalty: Six months imprisonment and/or £5000 fine.
Knives Act 1997
Created offences relating to the unlawful marketing of knives as suitable for combat, or in ways likely to stimulate or encourage violent behaviour. It also extended the power to stop and search in anticipation of violence contained in the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994. Maximum penalty: Six months imprisonment and/or £5000 fine. (It is interesting, this figure for a fine is the same as that imposed in 1953...£5000. In 1953 this would probably have bought 5 or 6 terraced houses on the outskirts of London).
Section 60 of the Criminal Justice & Order Act 1994, as amended by the Knives Act 1997 - contains a power under which an Officer or Inspector rank or above could, in certain circumstances, authorise Police Officers within a given area to stop and search for offensive weapons.
Violent Crime Reduction Bill
Since the introduction of the
Violent Crime Reduction Bill further provisions and amendments were made in October, 2006 raising the minimum age to buy a knife from 16 to 18. The maximum sentence was also increased from two to four years, along with giving Teachers more power to search pupils for weapons - Royal Assent of this Bill, November, 2006!
You can find all acts you might have queries about here:
Acts of the UK Parliament
Current Weapons Law
Just to be clear, if I am attending a costuming competition that I need a ceremonial sword for, it that legal if I carry it in a protective bag?
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