ZOMBIE WAR
POLICE ‘FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE’ AGAINST NOTORIOUS SERRATED KNIVES –
POLICE are “fighting a losing battle” in the war against zombie knives in London, an anti-knife campaigner has warned.
Tackling the use of the deadly weapon is said to be a priority for the Metropolitan Police following their use in a number of fatal stabbings across London in recent years.
However, data obtained by My London via a Freedom of Information request has shown that their use has actually risen 10-fold in four years.
A total of 48 incidents were recorded by Met Police involving the use of a zombie knife in 2016.
That figure rose substantially to 495 in 2019 and, despite national lockdowns, 388 in 2020.
Zombie knives have gained notoriety for their sharp and often serrated blades, with the name stemming from their use in horror and apocalyptic movies.
They are often advertised as machetes or swords due to their size and appear much more intimidating than knives used for practical purposes.
In January last year, 16-year-old Louis Johnson was fatally stabbed with a zombie knife outside East Croydon station.
More recently, 29-year-old Joshua White was murdered with the use of a zombie knife in front of a six-yearold girl in East London as he fled for his life.
Despite a government and police crackdown, the weapons are “becoming easier to get hold of”.
Patrick Green is the CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust, an anti-knife crime charity that educates young people on the dangers of knives through workshops and exhibitions.
The charity was created following the murder of Ben Kinsella, a 16-year-old Islington schoolboy, who was fatally stabbed in June 2008.
Speaking to My London on Tuesday (April 27), Mr Green said the work of anti-knife charities is being “undermined” by how easy it is to obtain a zombie knife.
He added: “They are becoming easier to get hold of and that is part of the problem. The Offensive Weapons Act came in 2019 and got royal assent last year. Part of this Act is to target the importation and purchases of zombie knives, flick knives and any knife not used for practical purposes, but to maim or kill.
“Certainly you can go online and select a knife you want to buy and it will be delivered to you within a few days. No one checks to see your age or whether it is legal. The Offensive Weapons bill was to tackle this.
“Our frustration is we have been waiting for it to be passed into law, but it still has not happened. This is something that has grown 10-fold in a short period and the government have not produced the law.
“Criminality will find a way round, but this would at least close a few loopholes.”
Mr Green wants to see the introduction of legislation where, if an individual purchases a zombie knife, they are required to collect it from a depot with proof of age.
He said it is not a case of police closing one door and another opening regarding the war on knife crime, rather “we are waiting for the first door to be closed”.
“Police are fighting a losing battle”, the CEO added. “We have not even closed a door. We are waiting for one door to be closed. It is to easy to get hold of these knives. That has got to be the starting point. You create the legislation that makes it difficult to get hold of.
“Our work, and charities like ours, is being undermined. Police must be equally frustrated. We work on preventative measures.
“We are working to educate young people on the dangers. Many young people who need these messages, we can’t reach them. If we work with a school with 30 children, 27 will know a knife will not protect them and will grow up to become good citizens.
“Two or three, though, may have that dysfunctional thinking. It allows us to get support of those people. We are waiting for young people to make a mistake before we intervene. Preventative work helps to identify those people before they make a mistake.
“It also helps people feel more confident to challenge others in their group. It is like in the 1970s, when it used to be acceptable to drink and drive – now your friends would take your keys from you if you tried. You start to create that if you carry a knife, you will end up out of our friendship group.”
It comes as a 14-year-old boy, Fares Maatou, was stabbed to death in broad daylight with a weapon
believed to be a “hidden blade cane knife”.
A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said officers were concerned about the increase in knives “falling into the wrong hands”.
A statement said: “Officers are seeing some Rambo style knives being used in London, and we are concerned about any type of knife which falls into the wrong hands which can then be used to cause serious harm and injury or worse still, death. We know the heart breaking impact of knife crime on families and communities in London which is why tackling it remains a priority for everyone in the Met.
“We are working with retailers, those who operate online, manufacturers and Trading Standards to ensure solutions to ensure responsible trading.
“Our officers are using every tactic and power available to them to remove dangerous knives and other weapons from the streets and identify our highest harm offenders such as knife carriers.”
Commander Alex Murray, the Met’s Violence Lead, added: “Throughout the past year, which has seen unprecedented challenges for Londoners and the police, our priority continued to be targeting violent crime and its drivers. Now lockdown restrictions are easing, it is vital that we maintain this focus and drive. “This operation is an intensification of the work officers are already doing on a daily basis to tackle knife crime and remove dangerous weapons from the streets, and last year we saw a 26 per cent reduction in violent crime across London. We are absolutely determined to keep violence levels down as we approach the summer months.”
In 2016, 48 incidents were recorded by Met Police where an offence contained the “zombie” in the details.
This more than doubled to 108 in 2017 and again to 262 in 2018. The figure reached its highest at 495 in 2019, but fell across 2020 to 388 as part of a overall 22 per cent drop in knife crime year-on-year.
The Met is uniting with other police forces across the country in Operation Sceptre, intensifying action to tackle knife crime and wider violence from April 26 to May 2.
Mr Green stated that a famous quote from Desmond Tutu is apt for the current situation in London.
“‘There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
This, Mr Green said, is what is currently happening with police.
If you have any information about knife crime, please contact police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 – your anonymity is guaranteed. Alternatively, visit their website at crimestoppers-uk.org. If you are worried about someone you suspect may be carrying a knife or other weapon, advice and support is also available through organisations including Knife Free at www.knifefree.co.uk/get-help-support/ and Fearless at www.fearless.org/en.
There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.
Patrick Green