Zombie-style knife surrender bin to be placed in South Shields ahead of ban

Northumbria Police are urging members of the public who own zombie-style knives and machetes to hand them over to offers ahead of a ban, which comes into force in September.

Under new legislation, it will be illegal to own the weapons in the UK from Tuesday, September 24.

Ahead of the ban, Northumbria Police are placing surrender bins in ten different police stations across the North East so people can hand them in, where they will be properly disposed of.

Members of the public will have until Monday, September 23, to surrender the weapons and those who are looking to do so should contact their local police station for advice on how to bring them in safely and securely.

As well as zombie-style knives and machetes, officers will also accept any other unwanted knives - with all submissions handled anonymously.

The weapons are described as a bladed article with:

• A plain cutting edge;
• A sharp pointed end;
• 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).

The weapons also typically have one or more of the following features:

• 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
• More than two sharp points in the blade;
• 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);
• A sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.

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Anyone handing in the knives will be able to apply for compensation for doing so, with the standard compensation amount for each surrendered weapon set at £10.

Compensation claims must be made at the same time as surrendering the weapon. Claims will be authorised and paid out by the Home Office.

Police will take possession of the weapons handed in and the applicant will then be contacted by the Home Office at a later date.

The scheme is open from now until 11.59pm on Monday, September 23.

Northumbria Police have confirmed that the weapons can be handed in at the following stations: 

• Southwick in Sunderland.
• Millbank in South Shields.
• Gateshead station.
• Etal Lane and Forth Banks stations in Newcastle.
• Middle Engine Lane in Wallsend.
• Alnwick, Bedlington, Berwick and Hexham in Northumberland.

Superintendent Scott Cowie, of Northumbria Police’s Prevention department, have urged members of the public to surrender the weapons before the deadline or risk facing serious consequences.

He said: “These types of weapons are incredibly dangerous and this move is an important one in removing them from society.

“As a Force, we are committed to tackling knife crime and reducing the devastating impact it causes in our communities among victims and their families and loved ones.

“I would urge anyone who is in possession of one of these zombie-style weapons to arrange to hand it over during the coming weeks and visit one of our stations to do so.

“Once the deadline has passed, anyone found to be in possession of these weapons should be expect to face serious consequences, which could include time in prison.

“If you have zombie-style knives, please hand them in and play your part in helping to keep our Force area among the safest to live, work and visit in the country.”

You can find more information about the compensation scheme at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-scheme-for-zombie-knives-and-machetes or https://www.northumbria.police.uk/notices/zk/zombie-style-knives-machetes-surrender-compensation-scheme/.