The Law and Carrying Knives
Under British law, it is illegal to carry a knife in public. If you do so, you can suffer severe legal penalties.
If you carry a knife to protect yourself or make yourself feel safer but do not intend to use it then you are committing a crime.
If you are planning to buy or carry a knife, it is important to know what the law says. Anyone found breaking these laws can be sent to prison for up to 4 years.
These include:
- It is against the law for any shop to sell a knife of any kind (including cutlery and kitchen knives) to anyone under the age of 18
- It is against the law to carry a knife in public without good reason – for example, if you work as a chef
- The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5000
- It is against the law to carry, buy or sell any type of knife banned by the government
- Knives with folding blades, like Swiss Army knives, are not illegal as long as the blade is less than three inches long (7.62 cms)
- If a knife is used in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife), it is regarded as an ‘offensive weapon’ by the law