Recommendation SP18: Online knife retailer compliance with Knives Act
From The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1, published 13 April 2026.
Recommendation
The Home Office should take immediate action to ensure that online knife retailers are complying with the Knives Act 1997, particularly regarding the marketing of knives, machetes, swords and similar bladed articles.
In brief (written by this site)
In July 2026, HM Government stated that it expected to complete implementation in mid-2026, with next steps including issuing communications on the Knives Act 1997 to retailers and police forces, preparing refreshed guidance on bladed articles, and providing £1.75 million to establish a new National Knife Crime Centre (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds no update since the Home Office's response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The Home Office is the lead department and expects to complete the implementation of this recommendation in mid-2026. Progress and next steps:
- The Home Office will issue a communication on the Knives Act 1997 to trade associations, online platforms and retailers shortly to highlight the requirements and criminal offences in respect of marketing of knives.
- The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for knife crime will also issue a similar communication shortly to all police forces in England and Wales about the Knives Act 1997.
- References to the restrictions in the Knives Act 1997 will be included in refreshed guidance being prepared in relation to legislation on bladed articles and offensive weapons, and which requires updating to take account of the new legislative provisions in the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
- The Home Office has provided £1.75 million in funding in 2026-27 for the establishment of a new National Knife Crime Centre, which will provide a national capability to tackle the unlawful sale of knives online.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The government's response to Phase 1 (CP 1623, 2 July 2026) agreed with all 67 recommendations in one sentence, and names only 39 of them individually. Where a recommendation is not named, the response shown is the passage the response gives for the group it belongs to (the recommendations for organisations outside central government, or the recommendations to policing bodies), which is not a response to that recommendation alone; the response does not list the members of any group. The 10 recommendations for Phase 2 of the Inquiry to consider show no response: the response introduces them (paragraph 20) but answers none of them. The government accepts the recommendations that are for central government to deliver. Where a recommendation is for an organisation outside central government, the government's agreement is not that organisation's acceptance.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Home Office has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 July 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response