A Bill to impose new curbs on the sale of non-domestic knives, including a ban on the general sale of swords has been introduced in Scotland.

The Custodial Sentencing and Weapons Bill (Scotland) was introduced in the Scottish Parliament today, Tuesday 3 October.

Welcoming the Bill, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
“This Bill strengthens the criminal justice system to further improve public safety and confidence in two areas which have rightly generated considerable debate.

“It builds on our recent and on-going work to strengthen the management of offenders, to reduce re-offending while cutting overall crime, and to give greater support and confidence to those who are victims of crime.”
The Bill introduces a licensing system for retailers selling non-domestic knives and a ban on the sale of swords other than for legitimate religious, cultural and sporting purposes.

The new regime will be backed with strong enforcement, including extended powers of entry and seizure for police and trading standards officers where they have reasonable grounds to suspect an offence has been committed.

The Minister explained: “Last month’s recorded crime figures showed these are continuing to fall, with violent crime last year falling to its lowest level since devolution.

“However, we are not complacent and with new restrictions on the sale of dangerous weapons we can help prevent more of them falling into the wrong hands.

“We will make it illegal for anyone in Scotland to sell a sword, subject to a limited number of exceptions, and require any business selling non-domestic knives and swords to abide by strict licence conditions.

“This adds to the range of measures we are taking in partnership with the police and Violence Reduction Unit to stamp out the blades menace that has claimed too many lives and scarred many others in Scotland.”

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Violence Reduction Unit, added: “The Violence Reduction Unit welcomes the licensing scheme for non-domestic knives introduced in the new legislation and the restriction it places on the sale of swords. This is another important step forward in the continuing fight against knife crime and trying to break the culture of violence and knife carrying particularly. “Knife crime is a significant issue in Scotland and the VRU fully supports this new legislation, as well as other initiatives and actions being progressed by the Scottish Executive to reduce violence throughout Scotland. Whilst a licensing scheme alone will not resolve the violence, it is another positive measure that will help to build on other legislative changes and criminal justice processes that have taken place recently.

“Last year in Strathclyde alone there were 1,300 knife attacks, 1,100 of which occurred in a public place and many of which involved non-domestic knives. All too often we have dealt with victims who have received injuries caused by such knives and seen the damage that can be done to individuals and communities. This new legislation will help to restrict the access to such weapons.

“Unless a sword is for one of the legitimate exceptions permitted in the Bill in relation to religious, sporting or ceremonial purposes, I cannot see any other good reason why someone would have one. Evidence shows that swords cause horrific injuries and the restrictions introduced by the Bill will hopefully have an effect on reducing the number of victims who are injured with such weapons.

“The police will robustly enforce the legislation. However, shopkeepers also have an important role to play in making this new Bill work. Ninety nine per cent of shopkeepers act responsibly when selling knives, and I hope the new licensing scheme will encourage the minority who do not to also act in a responsible way.”#Welcoming the Bill’s provisions, David McKenna, Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland, added:

“This Bill signals that knife crime will not be tolerated in Scotland. This legislation can save lives and make all our communities safer.”