Knife laws in England

Actually, knives are made and sold (to persons age 16 or over) quite freely in Britian. You just can't carry them in public places, unless you are a Vet, carpenter and such on your way to work (look at Tom's post above). I don;t really know how Scotland Yard came up with such a view on knives.
 
That's the link I was talking about.

"Walk boldly," that's what I say...

-Dave

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According to British Home Office and US Dept of Justice statistics, crimes of violence are more common per capita in the UK than the USA.

Wonder why..?
 
So Tom and TD, if I'm reading things correctly, it's technically illegal in GB for a woman to carry a metal finger-nail file in her purse? The metal nail file my wife carries is about six inches long, pointed on one end, with a small plastic handle on the other end -- this would clearly be illegal, correct? Another question -- how strictly are these laws enforced? I'm just curious because over here we have all kinds of laws that are routinely ignored by citizens and authorities alike.
 
Steven F wrote -

"So Tom and TD, if I'm reading things correctly, it's technically illegal in GB for a woman to carry a metal finger-nail file in her purse?"

Yes. If she was prosecuted, the burden of proof would be on her to prove that she was carrying it for a legitimate reason. In other words, she'd be considered guilty unless/untiul she could prove her innocence

Another question -- how strictly are these laws enforced? I'm just curious because over here we have all kinds of laws that are routinely ignored by citizens and authorities alike."

Very strictly. Although they aren't supposed to, the police often conduct random stop/searches. You should bear in mind that if the police use illegal or prohibited methods of obtaining evidence - random stop/search, entering premises without warrant, right to a lawyer ignored etc etc - this does NOT render the evidence inadmissible; instead, the policeman is brought before an internal disciplinary tribunal (who, in 99 cases out of 100, tell the offending cop "You nailed that sucker good, son, go & do it again...") So, although we supposedly have legislation
to protect us against abuse of police power, none of it's worth a damn.

A few years ago, a case where a carpet fitter was stopped and searched at random and imprisoned for having a knife in his toolbox made the (inside pages of) the newspapers, since even the British press thought this was a bit unfair. Now, with the burgeoning wave of anti-weapon hysteria we're suffering at the moment, similar cases aren't even reported.

Bill asked about scissors; again, yes, unless you can prove you need them for a specific, immediate purpose. The same goes for *anything* - stick, piece of string, coins, socks, false teeth; if the police arrest you for having them, *you* have to *prove* a leegitimate, immediate need. If you can't, you go to jail.

In passing; today a man was convicted of being the worst mass-murderer in British history - I can't remember the numbers, but it's thought he may have killed literally *hundreds* of people. His weapon? A needle. He was a doctor, who apparently killed old women for kicks.

The point is; you'll never end violence by punishing inanimate objects, such as guns or knives. There's no quick fix

 
Tom said it well. To be fair to the police, I personally believe that the UK police force is in general a pretty effective outfit. From my observation, the majority of them are hard working men and women who really care for the safety of the comunity they serve. Like in many country, they are severely under tremendous constraints from budget cuts and interference from politicians etc. I really do admire the courage of cops who go on patrol day and night in run-down areas without adequate means to protect their lives except useless collapsable batons. There isn't much we can expect them to protect ours. But a great many of them still make their best efforts to do so.
But high profile crime incidents often bring knee-jerk reactions from politicians that often force the cops to act in many unbelievable ways. Scotland Yard's view on knives as offensive weapons is one example. Totally misleading. Perhaps it's only meant to please politicians and the so-called liberal minds. Bad police attitude seems to be encouraged.
I'm not a UK citizen, actually. One of the reasons that I chose to come to study here is to learn something about democracy, in this country that I consider the mother of democratic system of states. And I'm now getting quite a good idea of what a modern democratic society could become. Good luck knife folks, wish you're not here.
 
How did Britain get under the Code Napoleon, wherein the accused must prove his innocence.

The UN Declaration on Human Rights, which pinko socialist countries like Britain and the rest of Europe nearly wet their pants over, declares something to the effect that no one should have to prove their innocence.

Before we slam the Brits too hard, remember that we citizens (subjects, serfs?) of the US can be deprived of our property merely because authorities suspect that it was involved in or derived from a criminal activity, such as drug dealing and manufacturing, or in the case of suburban Detroit, solicitation of prostitution.

The person so deprived must prove that his property was not involved in such enterprise, a different standard of proof than a criminal proceeding.

It matters not if the criminal charges against someone so deprived are dismissed or couldn't be filed to begin with. Acquital guarantees nothing.

Anyone know about Swiss laws?

Sieg Heil from the USA!
 
They know that Uncle Bill, and will be watching for the people who remember what the US used to be. Dye your hair before taking any action to fool the profiles.

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Disarmament is a common trend in Britian and has resulted in near disaster for them. For example at the start of WWII the British were disarmed so badly they begged other Commonwealth countries and even the USA for any type of firearm. Many odds and ends were sent to the British including foreign produced military arms.

Will
 
When I told Uncle Bill to dye his hair so he wouldn't fit the profiles, it was sad but true that they'll look for the old coots cause the youth and middle aged don't have a clue that your business is your business unless it hurts another.

I believe Robert Heinlein said something to the effect that the only answer a meddlesome snoop deserves is a poke in the snoot. Old coots think like that. Others query incredulously "that can't be legal, can it?".

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Funny how quick "protecting him for his own good" gets to be "protecting me from what oughta happen" if they catch me.

It's the people who start the lynch mobs that want to make sure rope doesn't get used on them. The appropriate response to someone who wants to ban guns or knives is " What are you doing that makes you scared of getting cut or shot? "

Having a Grumpy Grincy morning.

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