Drawing on decades of frontline policing experience, Chris Downs, Creator & Principle Advisor at https://firearmslicensing.net/ examines the Home Office’s proposed knife sales licensing regime, questioning its evidence base, enforceability and likely impact on both policing capacity and legitimate trade.
Knife crime remains one of the most significant threats to public safety in the UK. After nearly three decades dealing with the consequences of this on the streets of London, I have no doubt about the scale of harm it causes. The Government’s ambition to halve knife crime over the next decade is something every one of us should support.
However, the recently announced Home Office consultation on licensing knife sellers raises serious concerns. The proposals concern the introduction of a new licensing regime covering the sale and importation of knives – affecting retailers, private individuals, online sellers, second‑hand markets, and anyone importing bladed items for personal use. This is one of the most far‑reaching regulatory expansions in recent years.
It is essential that the trade responds, not least because:
- Many RFDS also trade in outdoor equipment, sporting goods and knives. Any new regulatory burden will directly affect them.
- The consultation repeatedly references firearms licensing and proposes that police take the primary role in administering and enforcing this new scheme. Firearms licensing teams are already under severe strain; adding a vastly larger licensing population risks further degrading service to the shooting community.
- Significant legislation already exists to prevent underage knife sales, and police and Trading Standards already have the powers to enforce it.
Please note, in writing this article I have consulted with a variety of partners including the British Shooting Sports Council.
Key Issues and Concerns
1. Unrealistic Expectations on Policing
The independent review by Commander Stephen Clayman states:
“Lessons learned from firearms licensing shows that the regulation of the weapons markets reduces the availability and use of weapons in incidents, but it comes at significant cost to law enforcement.”
Firearms licensing and knife sales are not directly comparable. Even if they were, forces already struggle to meet statutory firearms licensing obligations. Adding a licensing population potentially larger than the entire firearms community is operationally unachievable and would inevitably divert resources from their core functions.
2. Vague and Subjective Suitability Criteria
The consultation refers to “intelligence”, “dishonesty”, and “concerns” as grounds for refusing or revoking a licence but provides no definitions. This mirrors the inconsistent decision‑making and postcode lottery already seen in firearms licensing. Without a single clear primary agency in place and statutory criteria, the risk of arbitrary or uneven enforcement is high.
3. Import Licensing Is Unworkable at Scale
Border Force cannot realistically police millions of parcels containing kitchen knives, craft knives, or tools. The proposals offer no credible enforcement model for imports, and risk creating a system that is burdensome for legitimate users while having little impact on illicit supply.
4. Weak Evidence Base
The consultation cites knife crime statistics but provides no evidence that licensing sellers or importers reduces harm.
The Clayman review is explicit:
- There is no standardised national data from police or hospitals capturing the types of knives used in crime.
- that data does not exist to support targeted regulation of knife types.
- The only available dataset of this kind relates to homicides (ONS 2024), which shows that 53% of fatal offences involve a kitchen knife.
This means the majority of weapons used in the most serious incidents are already present in the home. Regulating the sale of outdoor knives, tools, or specialist equipment will not meaningfully address the highest‑risk category.
There is also no analysis of:
- whether offenders would simply shift to unregulated channels
- whether the proposals would push legitimate trade underground
- whether enforcement would divert police resources from more effective interventions
For a policy with such wide regulatory reach, this is a major omission.
Your Voice Matters
This consultation will shape the future regulatory landscape for knives and may set precedents for other licensing regimes. It is vital that practitioners, businesses, and individuals with operational experience respond.
We encourage all trade members to:
- Read the consultation in full
- Consider how the proposals would affect your business or activities
- Submit a response highlighting practical, evidence‑based concerns
Key opportunities to respond include:
- Questions 4 & 5 -whether businesses or private individuals should be licensed
- Question 8 -describing the operational impact on your business
- Question 9 – making any other comments.
Please note, both questions 8 and 9 have 250 word limits. It is therefore important to use this space well to highlight key issues or use the email address below to add further information.
If you would like support drafting your response, or wish to contribute to a coordinated sector submission, please get in touch at info@firearmslicensing.net.
To respond, search “Home Office knife sales consultation” or visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/licensing-for-knife-sales/licensing-for-knife-sales-accessible
You can complete the online form or email:
KnifeLicensingConsultation@homeoffice.gov.uk
