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The new government has made clear their ambition to half knife crime over the next decade as part of their Safer Streets Mission. As a result, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) knife crime working group has been established to formulate and deliver a strategy to combat knife crime.

Tackling the supply and availability of dangerous knives and ensuring that legislation is still effectively equipped to tackle those engaged in knife crime is a key component of its work. The review will explore the effectiveness of current legislation, policy and practice, ultimately making a series of recommendations, which can be considered by the Minister.

Now, the NPCC has issued an online survey aimed directly at smaller retailers, which is open for two weeks, to gauge the severity of the problem and review the processes in place already. Commander Stephen Clayman, NPCC knife crime lead, said: “I’ve been asked by the Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention to conduct a rapid independent end-to-end review of online knife sales.

“Feedback in this survey is extremely important in order to gather the knowledge you hold and contribute to some future changes in tackling the supply and sale of knives that often fall into the wrong hands.”

The survey is anonymised and not intended to collect any personal information, and can be filled in here.