Inside UK’s zombie knife hotspot as ban on lethal weapon comes into impact

Knife crime has plagued the streets of the UK for a number of years now – leaving a tragic trail of loss and trauma behind it.

But, from today (Tuesday 24 September), the government are hoping to tie a permanent tourniquet around this epidemic as zombie-style knives and machetes are now officially illegal to possess in England and Wales.

They hope that the new legislation, under the Criminal Justice Act, will finally close the legal ‘loophole’. Therefore, it will now be a criminal offence to possess, make, deliver and flog the dangerous ‘zombie’ knives.

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Hopefully, this is the end of a bloody era which has seen crimes committed with large knives, zombie knives and swords double in the last five years, according to police figures.

In the lead up to the ban, amnesty bins were put into place for those in possession of zombie knives to dispose of them safely. A compensation scheme also got the all clear which gave weapons dealers the chance to be awarded £10 for each blade when given up – with one firm handing over 35,000.

The decision to cost the tax payer has not only enraged some members of the public but the families whose loved ones have been victims of zombie knife slayings.

Though, today could be a huge turning point in bringing the zombie knives – classified as anything over 8 inches (20 cm) long, with a serrated edge and a hole in the blade – to a halt.

But, where is the epicentre of this relentless knife-related crime that has seen family upon family lose their, often young, loved ones?

Here, we take a look at the knife crime capital of the UK as it is hopefully set to transform its streets.

Where is the knife-crime captial?

The West Midlands is the knife crime capital of the UK, with the police having to set up a specialist taskforce in order to combat the growing weapon assaults and youth-based violence.

This area of the UK, covering the likes of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, saw knife-related incidents grow. ONS (Office for National Statistics) findings revealed that the UK as whole saw a 7% increase of ‘knife-enabled’ offences from last year, with the West Midlands ranking the highest.

With around 2.8million people residing there, West Midlands policing area had the most knife offences totalling 180 per 100,000 of the population.

The specialist taskforce, penned Project Guardian, shared they had seized over 350 weapons and arrested 500 since the start of the year, according to the BBC.

Made up of around 50 staff, including officers and analysts, their job is to track down those carrying the now banned knives and put a stop to potential crimes being committed.

Inspector Colin Gallier said: “It’s pretty much every day that teams are coming across individuals in possession of knives and weapons, sometimes quite sinister zombie style-knives, on a regular basis.

“We’ll find them [knives] in skips, in bushes behind trees. Anywhere where they can be quickly discarded.”

High profile cases in West Midlands

Tragically, many young people have lost their lives due to knife crime – specifically zombie knives – in the last couple of years. These awful killings have been a factor to spur the government to act and put a halt to these crimes – that often have young victims and perpetrators.

At just 23-years-old, and a successful career in football and teaching ahead of him, Cody Fisher was senselessly murdered with a zombie knife on a Birmingham, nightclub dance floor.

He was killed on Boxing Day 2022 in Crane Club by Remy Gordon, 23, and Kami Carpenter, 22, after the pair targeted Cody as he simply brushed past them on Christmas Eve in a busy bar.

The double-serrated blade was left buried deep into Cody’s chest after the masked group attacked the footballer on the dancefloor.

Both Gordon and Carpenter were convicted of murder at the beginning of the year.

At just 16-years-old Ronan Kanda, also from West Midlands, was brutally murdered by a ‘zombie-style’ sword after his attackers mistook his identity.

Back in June 2022, the young teen, who lived in Wolverhampton with his family, was on his way back home, minding his own business, after visiting a friend’s house to purchase a PlayStation controller.

As Ronan listened to music through his headphones, and just yards away from home, he was then set on by Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, both 17.

Veadhesa bought the knife after using a fake name online and then collected it from a local post office. Shergill then carried the knife before Veadhesa administered the fatal blows.

Having suffered a 20cm-deep wound in his back and a 17cm-deep wound to his chest, Ronan tragically passed away at the scene before the pair – who realised they attacked the wrong person – fled the scene.

Veadhesa was handed a minimum of 18 years and Shergill a minimum of 16. Ronan’s mum and family have now become avid campaigners to tackle knife, specifically zombie-style, crime.

Speaking to The Mirror earlier in the year, Pooja Kanda said: “Changing the law around online sales is a start, but it is such a small step that should have been taken a long time ago. We really need to do more. It’s a problem that we all need to tackle.

“I’ve taken the plunge to become a campaigner for this cause because as a citizen of this country, I have a responsibility to my son and to society.

“Every time I hear about another death on the news my grief hits me again like a ton of bricks. I know there will be another family somewhere, like me, whose life has been ripped apart and they will never, ever recover.”

Ban at a glance

The zombie-style knife ban has finally come into effect after being announced in January of this year. Originally, zombie knives were banned under the Conservatives in 2016.

However, manufacturers of these weapons found ways around the law by tweaking the measurements and features to surpass the specifications of the ban.

Today, that loop hole has been closed and it now means anyone in possession – owner, seller or distributor – will face imprisonment and a criminal record.

The government’s definition of the banned zombie knife:

A zombie style knife is a bladed weapon that has:

• A plain cutting edge
• A sharp pointed end
• A blade of over eight inches long

Also has one or more of the below:

• A serrated cutting edge over two inches long
• More than one hole in the blade
• Spikes
• More than two sharp points in the blade

After speaking with some of the victims’ families in the summer, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it would be Labour’s “moral mission” to tackle knife crime.