New legislation sees ninja swords banned in the UK from today

From today (Friday, August 1) it will be illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell ninja swords in the UK.

The ban is the final part of the so-called Ronan’s Law to be introduced to tackle the national scourge of knife crime.

From today anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face six months in prison, and this will later increase to two years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill. There is already a penalty of up to four years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.  

Today’s ban follows a month-long national surrender scheme, which encouraged people to safely hand over any ninja swords at their local police station. It also enabled people to register for compensation for handing over the weapons, some of which may have been purchased for decorative or religious purposes.

Like all forces, South Wales Police supported the amnesty period, which ran for the month of July. During that period, 14 swords were handed in, and five claims for compensation were submitted.

Superintendent Donna Llewellyn, knife crime lead for the force, thanked the public for their cooperation and their commitment to helping prevent potentially lethal weapons falling into the wrong hands.

Supt Llewellyn added:

“We know not everyone who was in possession of a ninja sword had criminal intent – they can be popular with martial arts enthusiasts and used for decorative purposes, for example.

“But we have seen instances elsewhere in the UK where they have been used as deadly weapons, and we all have a responsibility to prevent such weapons falling into the wrong hands and to work together to tackle knife crime.

“Knife crime on the whole remains relatively rare in south Wales, and we are determined to keep it this way. We will not rest on our laurels and will continue to do all we can to tackle the issue and bring those involved to justice.

“We continue to work closely with the Wales Violence Prevention Unit and South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to raise awareness of our Not The One campaign to change perceptions amongst young people that carrying a knife will make them safer, when in fact the opposite is true.”

Emma Wools, Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales added:

“I am committed to delivering a safe, just and inclusive South Wales for all. Ridding our communities of these dangerous and harmful weapons will contribute to achieving it, alongside our targeted interventions such as the Hotspots Action Fund and our continued support for Violence Prevention Units (VPUs). We know that knife crime is a serious concern for all, and through our Hotspots funding, we’ve seen a 22% reduction in weapon possession offenses and a 19% in harm.

“This national initiative will build on our work in South Wales, to try and break the cycle of individuals carrying knives and we will continue to support targeted initiatives to protect our children and young people from harm and violence.”

While the surrender and compensation period has now ended, we continue to encourage anyone who is in possession of a ninja sword but who may not have been aware of the change to legislation to contact us to arrange its safe disposal and to avoid falling foul of the law.

More information

The #NotTheOne campaign takes an early intervention approach to knife-crime prevention, supporting trusted adults, including parents, teachers, police officers and youth workers, in educating 11 to 16-year-olds on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife. Find out more and access resources here.