Police will PAY thugs with 'zombie knife' who surrender their weapons before official ban next month
Police are offering zombie knife owners cash to hand over the menacing blades before they are officially banned in the UK.
Any individual who has purchased a zombie knife or a machete will be able to cash in on the market value in a new scheme which is set to be put forward next week.
Named after the knives that are often used by characters in zombie films, so-called zombie knives have a long, menacing blade that can span up to 25 inches.
They are described by the government as a blade with 'a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence'.
The number of offences linked to the lethal blades has soared by 50,000, edging closely behind a previous record high set in 2019.
Police are offering zombie knife owners cash to hand over the menacing blades before they are officially banned in the UK (Pictured: some examples of different zombie knives, varying in length from a long blade to shorter styles)
From August 26 until September 23 zombie knife owners can trade in their blades for money so long as they can show 'acceptable evidence of the value of the weapon' (pictured: a zombie knife)
From August 26 until September 23 zombie knife owners can trade in their blades for money so long as they can show 'acceptable evidence of the value of the weapon', according to the Home Office.
If they are able 'evidence' the knife's value, for example with a purchase receipt, the will get the full value for the zombie knife as they were purchased when the blades were legal to own.
Home Office guidance stipulated that the deadly weapons can be relinquished after September 23, however those who do risk being prosecuted.
According to The Telegraph, sources from the Home Office have said it was usual practice to offer compensation for weapons when they were bought legally.
Those who are in ownership of a zombie knife have also been urged to be cautions when bringing them to police.
Handling them openly can result in being charged, even if they do so at a police precinct.
Ahead of surrendering the blade, guidance details that owners are instructed to contact police first and carry them 'wrapped up in a sealed bag or box'.
Those who return the knife with no proof of purchase will only be able to receive £10 per blade.
However to receive the compensation, they must surrender three knives or more, with the maximum payout being £30.
This comes shortly after Labour vowed to get tough on crime after their loveless lanslide victory in the 2024 general election.
Outlined in the King's Speech, the current government have pledged to also ban ninja swords after the previous Tory government fell short of banning them entirely.
However failure to follow strict guidance when surrendering the deadly weapons can result in prosecution (stock image)
Labour vowed to get tough on crime including plans to implement an outright ban on ninja swords
Daniel Anjorin, 14, (pictured) was killed by a man wielding a ninja sword in Hainault, London last May
A ninja sword was the weapon used to kill 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin in Hainault, London last May.
Labour has also promised to introduce 'strict sanctions' on senior executives of online companies who illegally sell knives.
It has made a general pledge to halve serious violence over the next decade.
Labour's vow to 'take back the streets' follows worrying rises in street-level offences including knife crime and shoplifting.
Official figures show that knife crime rose by 7 per cent in the year to December 2023.
In the year to March 2023, 82 per cent of teenage homicide victims were killed with a knife, compared to 73 per cent in the previous year.
