15IN MACHETE: BOUGHT ONLINE, NO AGE CHECKS
Investigation shows knife crackdown is needed now
THIS is the fearsome 15in machete the Mirror was able to buy online with next day delivery and no age checks.
Our investigation found a simple online search for “hunting knife” or “machete” revealed a huge range of blades, many available with speedy delivery.
We bought the £69.95 Gator Bolo machete from the website of Allcocks Outdoor Store near Kidderminster, Worcs.
No age verification was carried out before or after the sale.
Bullseye Country Sport, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, sold us a Boker Magnum CSB machete for £31.99.
It too was delivered the following day with no age checks.
It comes as five separate machete attacks were carried out in just seven days.
Last week The Government revealed plans to ban machetes and zombie knives after seven years of failed crackdowns.
Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is against the law to sell knives – apart from short penknives – to anyone under 18.
KILLING
Online retailers must also carry out age verification checks, clearly label packages to show they contain a bladed article that can only be handed to over-18s and ensure that couriers do not hand them to children.
Patrick Green, of The Ben Kinsella Trust, said the blades we found for sale were horrific.
He added: “These are the kind of weapons we want to see banned or have severe restrictions on their sale.
“These blades are ending up on the streets and often it is under-18s who use them.”
Kelly Brown, whose 16-yearold son Rhamero West was murdered by a Manchester gang in 2021, also urged the Government to take action.
The 47-year-old said: “These knives are killing people and it needs to stop now… 1000% they should be banned. They should not be allowed to be sold online.”
Almost 40% of all killings are committed using a knife or bladed weapon.
In the past seven years, 173 youths have been fatally stabbed in Britain.
Currently, it is illegal to carry machetes and large knives in public but they can be kept at home.
The Government proposes to ban all large knives that are not purchased for a practical use and “designed with the intention to threaten”. A seven- week consultation will now take place.
Allcocks manager David thanked the Mirror for highlighting the concerns around knives and said his staff were reviewing their internal systems.
Bullseye did not respond to a request for comment.