An Additional 783 Weapons Were Handed in at a Mobile Van Run by Fazamnesty, With Both Bins and Van Operating on a No-questions-asked Basis

Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son Ronan was stabbed to death with a ninja sword in Wolverhampton in 2022, has welcomed new government figures on weapons surrendered in amnesty bins. More than 14,500 weapons, including zombie-style knives, kitchen knives, and machetes, have been handed in since July last year, the Home Office said. The scheme, part of Ronan's Law, which banned ninja swords, initially set up 37 bins across London, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands, with eight more added in South and West Yorkshire, bringing the total to 45. Policing minister Sarah Jones said each surrendered weapon makes communities safer, noting knife crime is down 11% since the general election, with knife-enabled robberies down 16% and knife-linked homicides down 26%.

An additional 783 weapons were handed in at a mobile van run by Fazamnesty, with both bins and van operating on a no-questions-asked basis. Kanda said the scheme provides a safe, anonymous opportunity for young people to surrender dangerous weapons. As we mark one year since the introduction of Ronan’s Law, this surrender scheme is another important step in preventing dangerous weapons from causing further harm. It provides young people, and anyone else carrying a dangerous weapon, with a safe and anonymous opportunity to surrender it.