Bedfordshire Police welcomes Ronan's Law for stricter rules on online knife sales

Bedfordshire Police have dealt with scores of stabbings and other knife-related crimes across the county, most recently in Luton and Bedford.

The force’s gangs unit will be able to “hold accountable those who make lethal weapons easily accessible to criminals”.

Under the new legislation, sellers will have to report any bulk or suspicious purchases of knives to police to prevent illegal resales on social media.

The sentence for those caught selling weapons to under 18s will increase from six months to up to two years prison time – which could apply to the person who processed the sale or the company’s CEO.

Detective Inspector Scott Fowler from the force’s Boson guns and gangs unit said: “The legislation is clear, whether you’re a shop assistant or the CEO of a company selling bladed articles, you will face prosecution if you fail to do everything in your power to prevent them from being used to cause harm.

“Our message remains the same across the county, we do not tolerate knife crime in Bedfordshire. It’s time to think twice, think life and Just Drop It.”

This increase will also apply to the sale or supply of prohibited offensive weapons, like banned zombie-style knives.

The Crime and Policing Bill will bring in a new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence. So whether a weapon is legal or not, if there is intent to cause violence, this will be deemed as a crime.

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard, said: “’Ronan’s Law’ will see the toughest crackdown yet on knife sales online. The government’s announcement to introduce Ronan’s Law is very welcome. It should form part of a wider package of new legislation and measures to crackdown on the supply of weapons.”

The new measures will be known as ‘Ronan’s Law’ – in memory of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda who was killed in a case of mistaken identity near his Wolverhampton home.

Ronan’s mother and campaigner, Pooja Kanda said: “In 2022, I lost my son, Ronan, to knife crime and mistaken identity. In 2023, we sat in the courtroom where we were shown a Ninja sword and 25+ bladed articles. Looking at them, I knew my son didn’t stand a chance. Without proper ID checks, the online sale of these bladed articles played a crucial role in this tragedy. How was this allowed? A 16-year-old managed to get these weapons online and sold these weapons to other people.

“Retailers, social media, and sellers need to take on more responsibilities. We welcome the proposal of a registration scheme, where the government will continue to implement stricter measures on the online sale of bladed articles. We have so much work to tackle knife crime; this is a much-needed beginning.

Ronan’s killers, who were also teens, illegally bought lethal weapons online and picked them up from the Post Office – and did not have to verify their age or identity. One had bought more than 20 knives online, including by using his mother’s ID.

DI Fowler explained that tackling knife crime requires “a multi-faceted approach”. He said: “...focusing on enforcement against those who perpetuate the issue and prevention to deter others from getting involved.

“With the introduction of Ronan’s Law, we can now elevate our efforts and hold accountable those who make lethal weapons easily accessible to criminals. This enhancement of police powers and tactics will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our ability to address knife crime and ensure public safety.”