Police bid to get deadly Ninja knives off the streets

Police are backing the introduction of a law banning deadly ninja swords being sold, supplied, manufactured or possessed.

A ninja sword has a long thin blade of at least 14 inches with an extremely sharp, straight edge, effective for stabbing through hard surfaces. It makes them attractive to those involved in crime, but raises the risk of serious injury.

The government will ban the swords from August 1, and in the month ahead of the ban, locals are being urged to hand in swords as part of an amnesty.

It follows last summer’s 'zombie' knife scheme that saw thousands of weapons taken off the streets.

During a week of action against knife crime in may, 179 knives were recovered from Northamptonshire. Neighbourhood Policing Teams also vistied 16 secondary and 35 primary schools, with a particular focus on speaking to year 6 children ahead of their move to secondary school.

Detective Superintendent Andy Glenn, leading Northamptonshire Police's response to knife crime, said: "Tackling knife crime is a priority for us and we know it is something we need to approach in different ways".

He said that the police are working on identifying young people at risk of being involved in knife crime and trying to help prevent them from taking this path in life.

Last month the NSVPP (Northamptonshire Serious Violence Prevention Partnership) launched a new campaign, No One Wins, which showcases the collective grief experienced by those affected by knife crime. After August 1st you can be convicted as a result of ninja swords.

You can find out more about surrendering ninja swords safely here.

Swords can be handed in at Weston Favell, Wellingborough or Daventry police stations. They must be well-wrapped or boxed before surrender.