The United Kingdom's government plan to cut knife crime by requiring online buyers to provide proof of age and identity is unlikely to make things significantly better without an accompanying increase in sanctions for rule breakers, critics have claimed.
In the wake of the guilty plea entered by knife killer Axel Rudakubana, the UK government said this week it is planning to implement rule changes to ensure that people buying weapons online comply with an existing law requiring them to be 18 or older.
But Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for northwest England, told the BBC such a change will only work if the government ensures it can be enforced.
"The reality, of course, is that violent people will use whatever weapons they have, but when we talk specifically about knives, the easy access which particularly young people and people with violent histories have has to be addressed," he said.
Afzal added that the crackdown should include a requirement for sellers to inform the authorities about individuals who have attempted to buy knives illegally, so other sellers can be made aware. And he said sellers who do not comply should be punished.
The issue of online knife sales to young people came to the fore after 18-year-old Rudakubana admitted to murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the northwest England town of Southport last July, and to attempting to kill 10 other people in the same incident.
Rudakubana had a fascination with extreme violence and bought a knife online when he was 17.
In a bid to keep knives away from young people, the government plans to compel retailers to ask for two types of identification and for a live video, to prove the ID was not stolen.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told The Sun newspaper it "remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives".
The UK government, which has vowed to halve knife crime during the coming decade, has already announced several other changes to existing laws.
But the problem is immense, with serious offenses linked to knives having risen by 54 percent in the year ending March 2024 compared to the year ending March 2016.
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