Zombie knife amnesty scheme to open ahead of ban

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An amnesty scheme has been opened to encourage people who own dangerous ‘zombie knives’, to deposit the weapons without repercussions.

From 24 September, it will be illegal to own zombie-style knives and machetes as they will be added to the list of dangerous prohibited items already banned, including zombie knives, butterfly knives, Samurai swords and push daggers.

Zombie knife amnesty scheme

Ahead of the new ban coming into force, anyone with one of these weapons is being urged to hand them over – safely and legally. The government has confirmed that anyone who does will receive £10 compensation per blade handed in, in a desperate bid to get the knives off the streets.

The scheme will be run at police stations across England and Wales for four weeks between 26 August and 23 September, without repercussions for surrendering these potentially dangerous knives safely.

Individuals can also anonymously dispose of these weapons using safe, surrender bins, by contacting their local police, council or an anti-knife crime charity to find out about alternative options, other than police stations, in their area.

Knife crime statistics

Knife crime has been on the rise over the past few years as the latest figures show knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending December 2023 increased by 7% (49,489 offences) compared with the year ending December 2022 (46,153 offences).

Notable increases were seen in robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument (up 20% compared with the previous year).

Meanwhile, police recorded “possession of an article with a blade or point” offences were 1% higher in the year ending December 2023 (27,672 offences) than the year ending December 2022 (27,463 offences).

Zombie knives – Changes in the law

After 24 September, anyone caught with a zombie-style knife or a machete faces time behind bars as changes to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 will add ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie-style’ machetes to the list of prohibited offensive weapons.

Policing Minister, Diana Johnson said: “Too many people have access to weapons that can lead to devastating, life-changing consequences. There is no legitimate need for a weapon of this kind to be in our homes or on our streets.

“That is why we will continue to make sure the tightest restrictions are in place to limit the availability of these lethal weapons. Implementing a ban on zombie-style knives is just the first step in our ambitious, dedicated plan to halve knife crime within a decade, and will closely be followed by making ninja swords illegal.

“It is absolutely crucial that members of the public come forward and safely hand in these weapons. We are offering people the chance to do the right thing – to help make our streets safer, prevent further loss of life and save so many futures.

“We cannot do this alone, political, policing and community leaders must work together to bring the knife crime epidemic to an end and offer a better future for our young people.”

Although the government is offering compensation for anyone depositing zombie knives, at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd, we can help victims of violent knife crimes claim compensation for their injuries.

I have been a victim of a knife attack, what should I do?

If you have unfortunately been a victim of knife crime, you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) awards compensation to those who have sustained an injury due to an act of criminal violence. However, as this is a government-run scheme there is a strict criteria you have to adhere to be successful in your claim.

By using a qualified solicitor, we can assist you in putting the best case forward to return the rightful compensation you are entitled to. We can also appeal on your behalf if we believe the offer for compensation is not as much as you should be entitled to.

We have broken down everything you need to know about claiming compensation from the CICA for a hate crime.

What is a Crime of Violence?

The CICA defines a ‘Crime of Violence’ as a crime which, by intention or recklessness, involves any of the following:

A physical attack
Any other act (or failure to act) of a violent nature which causes physical injury to a person
A threat against a person causing fear of immediate violence
Sexual assault
Arson

What is a ‘Relevant Place’?

According to the CICA, to make a successful claim, the offence must have taken place in a relevant place – which means Great Britain.

However, some further niche areas fall under the CICA’s definition. This includes a British-controlled aircraft, a British-controlled hovercraft, or a lighthouse off the coast of Great Britain.

How long do I have to make a claim?

As a general rule, the crime must have taken place within the last two years to put in a criminal injury application to the CICA. There can be exceptions to this rule if, due to exceptional circumstances, the applicant could not have applied earlier.

If an applicant was a child under the age of 18 on the date of the criminal incident, they have until they turn 20 years old to submit a claim.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police have been known to tell an individual not to put in a claim to the CICA until after a criminal investigation has concluded however this can put you in severe danger of missing the pre-imposed deadlines that have been set.

Other CICA conditions I need to adhere to:

The crime must have been reported to the police as soon as ‘reasonably practicable’
The applicant must have fully co-operated with the police
The applicant must fully cooperate with the CICA claims officer

How much compensation will I get?

The CICA calculates awards for criminal injury compensation using a tariff that contains provisions for both physical and psychological injuries.

It pays out on up to three injuries if each is so serious that they would qualify for individual awards, calculated as follows:

100% of the injury that achieves the highest compensation
30% of an injury that is worth either equal to the most serious injury or the second-highest compensation
15% of an injury that is worth either equal to the second most serious injury or the third-highest compensation

There are also additional payments for losses that may be claimed, 3 are shown below with examples:

Common awards

A fractured jaw bone resulting in ongoing problems. This would be valued at £3,500 and could rise to £6,200 if an operation had taken place.
Facial scarring causes serious disfigurement. This could be valued up to £11,000.
Injuries resulting in permanent tinnitus which is very severe can be valued at £16,500.
Loss of teeth could be valued up to £3,500
A permanent and seriously disabling psychological injury, with a potential value of up to £27,000.

Loss of earnings

If your injury has caused you to miss a significant amount of work, then you may be able to claim for loss of earnings. If you have missed work for over 28 weeks, there is the option to add a claim for lost earnings to your CICA application.

You will be paid from the 29th week onwards that you have missed work and payments will be made via statutory sick pay rates. Supporting evidence must be provided from your doctor or employer to demonstrate that you were unfit for work for the length of time mentioned above.

Special expenses

Special expenses, such as medical expenses and alterations to your household, that have arisen as a result of your injury may also be claimed for. These expenses must be reasonable and will not be available if you received them for free, e.g. through the NHS.

Zombie-knife Amnesty Scheme – where can I surrender a knife?

Participating police stations are spread across the country, and people should contact their designated police station first to get advice on how to package up any weapons and bring them into the station.

Members of the public who may be in possession of these weapons should read the government guidance to find their nearest designated police station and for further information about how they can hand these weapons in.

This scheme is just one part of the government’s pledge to halve knife crime in a decade. The next steps will include further bans, stronger rules to stop online sales, and tough action to stop young people being drawn into crime.

What is a Zombie knife?

The weapon sometimes known as a ‘zombie-style’ knife or ‘zombie-style’ machete, being a bladed article with—

A plain cutting edge
A sharp pointed end; and
A blade of over eight inches in length (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade), which also has one or more of the following features, the specified features are:

a serrated cutting edge (other than a serrated cutting edge of up to two inches next to the handle)
more than one hole in the blade
spikes
(d) more than two sharp points in the blade other than:
- (a) a sharp point where the angle between the edges which create the point is an angle of at least 90 degrees (where there is a curved edge, the angle will be measured by reference to the tangent of the curve);
- (b) a sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.

Zombie knife compensation

The government has confirmed that the standard compensation amount for each surrendered weapon will be £10, though applicants will be able to claim that the value of their weapon exceeds this amount.

For claims for individual items worth over £10, individuals will need to provide acceptable evidence of the value of the item (e.g., purchase receipt).
No compensation will be payable in respect of a claim where the total is less than £30. This means that if you have one item to surrender you will not be eligible for compensation, but if you have three items at £10 each, you will be eligible to claim £30 of compensation for the three items.
Claims for compensation must be made at the same time as surrendering the weapon.

How do I know if I am eligible for compensation?

To be eligible to claim compensation for one of the ‘zombie-style’ knives or ‘zombie-style’ machetes set out in you must be the legal owner of the item and, where possible, should provide acceptable proof that you lawfully own the item, such as a receipt of purchase.

You will need to sign Part D – Declaration of the claim form confirming that you are the legal owner of the item and that it was lawfully acquired when completing the ‘Zombie-Style’ Knives and ‘Zombie-Style’ Machetes Surrender and Compensation Scheme Claim Form.