The UK Government is introducing stricter rules for online retailers selling knives, along with tougher penalties for failing to enforce the measures.

Following recent tragedies where the unlicensed sale of these weapons online has led to young people being killed, retailers will be required to report any bulk or suspicious purchases of knives on their digital platforms to police, and help prevent illegal re-sales happening across social media accounts.

The government is also increasing the sentence for selling weapons to under 18s from six months to up to two years prison time, which could apply to an individual who has processed the sale, or a CEO of the company.

Further, a new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence will be introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill, which will come with a prison sentence of up to four years in prison.

The new measures, collectively known as “Ronan’s Law,” are in honour of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022 aged 16 in a case of mistaken identity near his Wolverhampton home.

Ronan’s killers, also teenagers, illegally bought weapons online and collected them from the Post Office on the day of the attack, with no age or identity verifications taking place. It was later revealed that one of Ronan’s killers had bought more than 20 knives online, including by using his mother’s ID.

The measures to close loopholes in the online sale of knives deliver on a UK Government manifesto commitment to introduce Ronan’s Law, and are the result of tireless campaigning by Ronan’s mother Pooja and sister Nikita to restrict young people’s access to weapons online.

“It is horrifying how easy it is for young people to get hold of knives online even though children’s lives are being lost, and families and communities are left devastated as a result,” said home secretary Yvette Cooper.

“Not enough has been done to tackle the online market over recent years which is why we made it an urgent priority in our manifesto and the measures today will be underpinned by investment for a new dedicated police unit to go after those who are breaking the law and putting children and teenagers’ lives at risk.

“We are honouring our commitment to introduce Ronan’s Law in memory of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed in 2022. I am so grateful to the Kanda family for their endless perseverance in ensuring governments take the right actions to protect young people from further tragedy.

“This government has set an ambitious mission for the country to halve knife crime over the next decade and we will pursue every possible avenue to save young lives.”

Recommended reading

• New UK AI System Developed to Combat Knife Crime
• Aberdeen Uni Joins AI Powered Trauma Care Trial
• UK Shifts AI Focus to Prioritise Crime and Defence

The UK government said that tackling the online space is a core part of its plan for change.

It’s already announced that it will introduce significant fines in the region of £10,000 for tech executives who fail to remove illegal knife crime content from their platforms, and a mandatory two-step verification system for all retailers selling knives online.

This verification system will require customers to submit photo ID at the point of sale and again at the point of delivery. In addition, delivery companies will only be able to deliver a bladed article to the same person who purchased it.

In the spring, the Home Office also intends to launch a consultation into a registration scheme for retailers in order to sell knives online.