Amnesty launched as part of mission to halve knife crime
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-30)

Young people across the country are being urged to surrender bladed weapons including ninja swords to help prevent further loss of young lives to knife crime.

With the support of Word 4 Weapons and FazAmnesty, young people will be able to anonymously hand in any weapons to surrender bins or a purpose-built and fully secure van, across London, Greater Manchester and West Midlands – the 3 highest areas for knife crime in England.

Part of the government’s most ambitious surrender scheme yet and Plan for Change, the 37 new amnesty bins and the locations of the mobile surrender van will be strategically placed in these high-risk areas throughout July, in partnership with local councils, to provide young people with an accessible, alternative way to hand in weapons without needing to go to a police station.

Throughout the month the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and other grassroots organisations will be using their platform as trusted voices in communities to encourage young people to hand in their weapons via these routes, while signposting them to local support services.

From 1 August 2025, deadly ninja swords will be banned in full – illegal to possess in public or private – and so, in addition to the surrender arrangements across the 3 hotspot areas, people will also be able to hand in ninja swords to designated police stations across the country.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:

The launch of today’s scheme is a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our Plan for Change.

I am incredibly grateful to Pooja Kanda, Sandra Campbell and Faron Paul whose work to tackle knife crime is making a real difference to young peoples’ lives.

This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime. We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime.

The scheme has been designed to provide people with a range of ways to hand in weapons outside of police stations. Word 4 Weapons and FazAmnesty, both members of the government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, have a proven track record in supporting young people to surrender dangerous weapons and directing them towards local support.

Faron Paul, Founder of FazAmnesty said:

I’m proud to support the extended surrender scheme and the launch of the mobile amnesty van which gives people a safe and easy way to hand in weapons, knives and other dangerous items. By taking this service directly into communities, I hope we can reach more individuals, encourage positive decisions and help reduce the number of harmful items on our streets.

This initiative is an important step towards preventing violence, building trust and supporting our ongoing efforts to create safer, stronger communities for everyone.

The ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme will also be running in tandem throughout July in police stations across England and Wales. The ban on ninja swords is a result of the tireless campaigning of the Kanda family, who tragically lost their son Ronan in 2022 when he was killed with one of these deadly weapons. The ban on ninja swords is part of Ronan’s Law which was introduced to Parliament this year and includes measures to stop the illegal sale of knives online. Ronan’s Law will be included in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Members of the public wishing to surrender a ninja sword in exchange for compensation should take them to their local police station. Ninja swords can also be surrendered in any available surrender bin however this will not result in any compensation. Full details about how to claim compensation for ninja swords can be found on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ninja-sword-surrender-and-compensation-scheme) or via local police.

Pooja Kanda, knife crime campaigner and mother to Ronan said:

It has been 3 years since Ronan’s life was tragically taken as a result of the wounds inflicted by a ninja sword. Since then, we have relentlessly campaigned for ninja swords to be taken off the streets as they have no place in society.

The government has now introduced a much needed ban on ninja swords, and we encourage those in possession to surrender them to make the community a safer place where children can walk home without fear.

CEO of Word 4 Weapons, Sandra Campbell, said:

Word 4 Weapons, in partnership with the Home Office, proudly supports the ninja sword ban and the removal of dangerous weapons and knives from public spaces to help build safe communities for all.