Police in the United Kingdom are encouraging citizens to hand in so-called “zombie” knives and machetes before an imminent ban comes into place. Legislation passed under the previous Conservative government takes effect in late September, and provides financial compensation to those who hand the weapons over to police. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said the plan is part of a broader effort to end knife crime as the number of stabbings spirals out of control.
In the latest incident, a woman was killed and two others seriously injured in an incident in Manchester. Police arrested a 22-year-old man, while a 17-year-old girl and a 64-year-old man were taken to hospital with life-threatening wounds. The dead woman was later identified as 43-year-old Alberta Obinim. A police statement said the alleged killer was known to the victims.
According to figures from the Action on Armed Violence organization, there were 49,489 knife-related incidents in England and Wales in 2023 – an increase from 46,153 the previous year. The figures were released just weeks after the murder of three young girls in the northwest England town of Southport, which made international headlines and prompted nationwide protests and riots.
During a Taylor Swift children’s dance class in the town, 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar died when a teenage knifeman crashed into the venue and began stabbing people indiscriminately. Almost a dozen others were injured.
In the weeks that followed, national anger spilled onto the UK’s streets as riots erupted in rage at open-border immigration. The teenage killer was the son of Rwandan immigrants, and British protestors believe decades of multicultural policy have created a significant division in society, with many migrants and their descendants holding negative views about the nation and its culture.
Demonstrators also believe that policing is approached differently for separate communities. The hashtag TwoTierBritain trended on Twitter as people complained that immigrant groups often commit heinous crimes – such as forming organized rape gangs – but are not punished or pursued by law enforcement. Meanwhile, native English demonstrators received hefty jail terms for controversial social media posts. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer dismissed protestors as “far-right thugs.”
