Stopping the sale of knives to under-18s

AMAZON came in for heavy criticism in the wake of the Bailey Gwynne tragedy when it emerged his killer bought the knife he murdered the 16-year-old with from the online retail giant.

But an investigation by The Sunday Post suggests the firm HAS made progress in tightening up its knife sale procedures.

Bailey’s killer paid £40 for a folding knife with an 8.5cm blade and told police he bought it online “because they don’t check if you’re 18 or not”.

It is illegal to sell a folding knife to someone aged under 18 if the blade is more than three inches (7.62cm) long.

But the 16-year-old was able to get around the age verification checks by pinning a note to his door asking for it to be delivered to a shed instead of accepting it in person.

In March 2016, five months after Bailey’s death, Amazon signed up to a new voluntary code on the sale of knives, alongside other retailers, that requires proof of age at the point of purchase, collection or delivery.

But it emerged in October 2016 that those seeking to buy knives on Amazon were only warned that they may be asked for age identification on delivery.

The firm now offers more robust security checks and warns on its website that the knife will not be delivered without verifying the buyer’s age.

Our investigation suggests that these measures are now working.

We purchased a three-inch folding knife from Amazon and left a note asking for it to be delivered to a recycling bin in a fenced garden.

But delivery drivers from UPS put a note through the door saying it was not possible and a signature was required on two separate occasions.

New measures making online shoppers collect knives in person rather than having them delivered to homes were proposed by the UK Government last month, offering hope that some lessons have been learned from Bailey Gwynne’s death.