LGA urges long-term funding for trading standards to tackle underage knife sales

The Local Government Association has called on ministers to provide trading standards services with long-term and sustainable funding so that they can carry out test purchases and prosecutions for the sale of knives to children.

The LGA said the government’s Serious Violence Strategy to tackle knife crime should be brought forward as soon as possible.

It highlighted how the government had only committed to the Prosecution Fund for two years, and trading standards budgets and staffing had been cut by around half since 2010.

The LGA also said the retail industry should fund underage test purchasing of knives and work more closely with councils to help improve compliance levels.

It added that greater fines and tougher sentences were needed for retailers selling knives to anyone under the permitted aged of 18.

The results of test purchases recently carried out by trading standards teams at councils nationwide included:

• Eight out of 10 retailers – three businesses and five online retailers - sold knives to a 16-year-old in a test purchase operation by North Yorkshire County Council
• Three retailers sold knives to 15-year-old boys in a test purchase operation by Stoke-on-Trent City Council Trading Standards
• Two businesses were prosecuted by Lambeth Trading Standards after selling knives to a 14-year-old girl. One business was fined a total of £8,000 for two breaches while another business was ordered to pay £1,100.

Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Rogue businesses that sell knives to children knowing full well the destruction rising knife crime is causing in our communities should be ashamed of themselves because just one illegal knife sale could have tragic consequences.

“The retail supply of knives needs to be managed robustly across all sales points, and retailers must ask for proof of age if they are unsure the buyer is under 18. Tougher sentences, including larger fines, are also needed to reflect the seriousness of selling knives to children, both on the high street and online.”

Cllr Blackburn added: “The Prosecution Fund announced in the Serious Violence Strategy will help councils prosecute retailers for blatant breaches of knife sale laws but needs to be introduced as soon as possible to help tackle the knife crime epidemic. However, given the significant cuts to trading standards budgets, we need a long-term approach that ensures all councils are properly funded to increase their under-age testing work, in order to tackle illegal knife sales and help protect people from harm.

“Alongside that, if our public health approach to making young people safer and protect them from harm is to work we need every part of the community – schools, councils, families and businesses – to work together to rid our communities of violence.”