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Call for internet knife sale ban after Lambeth teens buy online (From Streatham Guardian)
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Call for internet knife sale ban after Lambeth teens buy online
7:10am Wednesday 15th July 2009
A 14-year-old Lambeth teenager managed to buy an 18 inch machete and a set of throwing knives on the internet.
Now Lambeth Council trading standards officers are demanding internet knife sales be banned in the UK.
Shock findings from national research carried out by the officers showed 93 per cent of retailers broke the law by selling knives online to someone under the age of 18.
Anti-knife crime campaigners have said the findings show online sales of blades are feeding the problems of knife crime blighting areas like Lambeth.
Trading Standards Institute (TSI) chief executive Ron Gainsford said: “As knife crime remains a problem in many of our towns and cities it beggars belief that so many traders are still prepared to sell potentially lethal weapons to children.”
Young test purchasers involved in the operation carried out by Lambeth and Southwark councils bought knives from 41 out of the 44 sites based around the UK, including kitchen, hunting, craft and combat knives.
Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for environment, Councillor Sally Prentice, said Lambeth was working hard to cut knife crime and youth violence but irresponsible retailers made that job more difficult.
She added: “It is especially disappointing to find so many retailers are willing to put profits over lives by selling knives to young people.”
The research follows a number of trading standard operations in Lambeth to target shopkeepers selling knives.
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Your Say YourStreatham
TarikF, says...
5:05pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Take a closer look at what we're doing with the project here: http://voicebox.vins
pired.com/results/
Yours,
Tarik
Call for internet knife sale ban after Lambeth teens buy online
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MikeinWinnipeg, Winnipeg says...
6:31pm Wed 15 Jul 09
No, stores should not sell knives to people under 18 however I think the responsability here lies with the parents not watching their childrens activities on the web or the deliveries by mail.
Knives of all sizes and description can be found in any kitchen, would you try to tell me that if a young criminal could not get a mail order knife that he would commit no crimes?
I hope I spark some debate here because that comment sure sparked me!