A shop in Harlesden's high street has been fined nearly £1,800 after being caught selling a knife to a pair of 15-year-olds.
Trading Standards in Brent sent two 15-year-olds to Price Busters, who were able to buy a 16cm knife - without being asked for ID - in a test purchasing exercise.
Under the law, it is illegal to sell knives to anyone below the age of 18, in England and Wales.
The business pleaded guilty to selling a knife to underage customers at Willesden Magistrates' Court on October 9 and was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £1,787.99.
Price Busters, which describes itself as a "£+" shop, and sits on the junction of High Street with Park Parade and Manor Park Road.
Although a Google listing for the shop says it permanently closed, a neighbouring shop confirmed to getwestlondon that Price Busters is still trading in High Street, Harlesden.
Test purchasing is often used by Trading Standards to check if their policies are working and being adhered to on the high street and even online.
Cllr Tom Miller, Brent Council Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said: "Businesses selling knives to underage customers should be ashamed, knowing the destruction knife crime is causing in our communities.
"I have to praise and thank our Trading Standards team for taking tough action against those who put profit before the safety of our communities and I hope this action sends a strong message to all retailers, including those online - they have a very real responsibility in helping to keep violence off our streets.
"We all need to work together for a safer Brent, which means we need every part of the community - schools, authorities, families and businesses - to play their part."
The laws around knives and all the types of knives that are illegal in the UK
The Basics
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine. You’ll get a prison sentence if you’re convicted of carrying a knife more than once.
It’s illegal to:
- sell a knife to anyone under 18, unless it has a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less
- carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less
- carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
- use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife)
Types of knives and weapons banned in the UK
It is illegal to bring into the UK, sell, hire, lend or give anyone the following:
- butterfly knives (also known as ‘balisongs’) - a blade hidden inside a handle that splits in the middle
- disguised knives - a blade or sharp point hidden inside what looks like everyday objects such as a buckle, phone, brush or lipstick
- flick knives (also known as ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives’) - a blade hidden inside a handle which shoots out when a button is pressed
- gravity knives
- stealth knives - a knife or spike not made from metal (except when used at home, for food or a toy)
- zombie knives - a knife with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence
- swords, including samurai swords - a curved blade over 50cm (with some exceptions, such as antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
- sword-sticks - a hollow walking stick or cane containing a blade
- push daggers
- blowpipes (‘blow gun’)
- telescopic truncheons - extend automatically by pressing button or spring in the handle
- batons - straight, side-handled or friction-lock truncheons
- hollow kubotans - a cylinder-shaped keychain holding spikes
- shurikens (also known as ‘shaken’, ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars’)
- kusari-gama - a sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire
- kyoketsu-shoge - a hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire
- kusari (or ‘manrikigusari’) - a weight attached to a rope, cord, wire
- hand or foot-claws
- knuckledusters
'Good' reasons you might be able to carry a knife or weapon
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include:
- taking knives you use at work to and from work
- taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
- if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry
- if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it
A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.
Source: gov.uk
