Bira has been working with the Home Office and other agencies to ensure that there is sufficient education and enforcement to support independent retailers such as cookshops and hardware shops that legitimately sell knives and dangerous substances.
In this hub we'll share the latest legislation, training and resources to help retailers that sell knives, blades or dangerous substances.
Sale of knives to persons under 18
As of 1st April 2023, retailers found guilty of selling knives to underage customers could face unlimited fines and individuals could face a possible prison sentence of up to six months.
It's important to stress that the sale of retail knives includes any bladed item, including many kitchen utensils and even butter knives. The legislation also includes sale both in-store and online.
The full sentencing guidelines, covering both individuals and organisations, can be found on the Sentencing Council website here
Reduce your risk of breaking the law
To minimise your risk, it’s important to take the following steps:
- Have all your staff undergo the five training modules (The modules will take approximately 1 hour to complete).
- Download, print and share the Good Practice Guide with your employees… test them to prove they have read and understood it… and add the training modules and training modules into your new employee induction program.
- If you don’t already have a staff training recording system, download, complete, store, and regularly review the Staff Training Record (which can be used for other training)
- Complete a checklist for each staff member and store that with the rest of your training records.
- Download, print and display the public A4 poster and staff-facing flyer in a clearly visible place in your business.
Resources to help you stay within the law
The National Business Crime Centre website contains a good practice guide and additional training modules for retailers, including a Knife Retailers Toolkit featuring:
- Training modules on storage, assessing age, challenging and checking someone for I.D and when to call in the police
- Responsible Retailers Agreement
- Good practice guide
- Training record sheet
- Training checklist
- Posters (Customer and Staff areas)
- Stickers
Visit our Policy & Campaigns pages
Our campaigns cover a wide spectrum of issues crucial to the success of independent traders. One of them is Retail Crime.
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