Senior executives who fail to stop dangerous and illegal knives being advertised on their platforms will be held liable under new government proposal
To combat the unacceptable use of social media and online marketplaces to market illegal weapons and glorify violence, senior executives of social media companies will face personal fines if they fail to remove illegal content swiftly.
In a consultation published today (Wednesday 13 November), proposals include giving police the power to issue notices to senior executives of online companies, ordering them to remove specific pieces of content, potentially within two days. If the company fails to act on this, the police will send a second notice to the senior executive in that company, who would then be personally liable for a significant fine if they too fail to act.
This is the latest step to meet the government’s pledge to halve knife crime over the next decade.
The government is also progressing its commitment to ban ninja swords following a determined campaign by Pooja Kanda, the mother of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed using one of these weapons in 2022. Today, it will publish a consultation to finalise the description of this deadly weapon – the first step towards bringing forward the change in legislation.
After a sharp rise in robberies at knifepoint, which is driving the steep increase in knife crime nationally, the Home Secretary recently chaired the first meeting of a dedicated new taskforce focused on rapid action to curb this trend. A nationwide policing effort is underway this week, coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, where forces will target robbery hotspots to prevent violent crime.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
The epidemic of knife crime that has grown over the last decade is devastating families and communities right across the country. That’s why this government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve knife crime over the next decade and today we’re taking determined action to get lethal blades off Britain’s streets. That means tough new sanctions for technology executives who fail to tackle illegal knife sales on their platforms, and a comprehensive ban on ninja swords. These announcements follow the tireless campaigning of Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was killed in 2022, after his teenage killer unlawfully obtained a ninja sword online. Those who enable or perpetrate these crimes must face the full force of the law.
Pooja Kanda said:
I am very relieved that today the government have kept their promise to proactively ban the ninja sword that killed my son and protect others from having the same fate. I’d like to thank the Home Office for all they have done and urge everyone to complete the consultation and share it so we can have a safer future
Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for knife crime, said:
For far too long, deadly weapons have been far too easily accessible online, with content promoting their use for protection and combat rife on many platforms and seemingly little being done to remove it. We welcome the chance to take part in the consultation and explore the most effective means of achieving this, including using the findings of the ongoing online sales review. Policing continues to work hard to tackle knife crime but we cannot do this alone. The announcement today will provide additional measures in the fight against tackling the supply of these weapons and support us in our mission to drive down knife crime and make our communities safer for everyone.
These new powers will support the work of Commander Stephen Clayman, who is also leading a review into the online sale of knives. Commissioned by the Home Secretary in September, the review will identify what more needs to be done to stop knives being sold illegally online. Commander Clayman will report back to the Home Secretary by the end of January 2025.