Ban these zombie knives now, West Midlands PCC tells Amazon and Theresa May
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has called for an immediate and total ban on the sale of so-called 'zombie knives'.
David Jamieson has written to Home Secretary Theresa May and to the boss of Amazon UK, Chris North, who he has urged to take the first step and remove the items from sale in the UK.
The brutal weapons, with serrated blades of up to 2ft in length, are increasingly being carried by gangs on the streets of the UK.
And the blades, with names such as 'Skinner', 'Chopper' and 'Head Splitter', are available online for as little as £8.
Despite being marketed as collectors' items or having loose links to films and TV shows, they are being increasingly used by criminal gangs as status symbols.
The knives are available on Amazon, the UK's largest online retailer, priced from £115 right down to just £19.99.
Examples include the 9.75 inch high carbon steel blade 'Zombie Zomstro Chopper' for £86.63, the 7.5 inch high carbon steel blade 'Zombie Famine Tanto' for £78 and the 5 inch black stainless steel serrated blade 'Zombie Hunter Skinner' for £24.99.
Mr Jamieson is now demanding the sale of such weapons be banned in order to protect the public.
He said: "These so-called zombie knives have no practical usage whatsoever and are an increasing danger on our streets.
"I have therefore written to Chris North, Amazon's CEO, asking for him to remove them from his website as soon as possible in the name of public protection. I am also worried at just how easy it is to buy these weapons online: I am not aware of any robust safety and security measures in place to stop them falling into the hands of children.
"I have also written to Home Secretary, Theresa May. The Home Office is already considering banning the sale of zombie knives, something I called for last summer, and I want to see this enforced as soon as possible.
"These weapons have no place in our society and I want to see them eradicated once and for all."
