Seven Plymouth shops fail to test knife sales | News

Young volunteers working with the police tried to buy blades from 21 shops in the city

Seven shops in Plymouth have failed a police operation to try to stop the sale of knives to minors.

Undercover cadets visited 21 shops across the city to test compliance on Saturday 18 May

The operation also aimed to confirm that shop workers understood the law regarding the sale of bladed items to prevent under-18s from purchasing them.

The plainclothes officers were joined by citizens from the police force, two police cadets under the age of 18 volunteered to take part in the operation. .

The team tried to source different types of bladed items, from craft knives and fishing knives to regular kitchen knife sets.

Of the 21 retailers visited, 14 followed the ‘Challenge 25’ protocol by asking for ID as soon as possible and refusing to sell the bladed item to the young man.

No crimes were committed during this trial purchase operation as a plainclothes police officer intervened before the purchase took place to inform the retailer that they had failed.

If the sale had gone ahead, the seven stores that failed would have committed the offense of selling knives to under-18s, which could have resulted in fines or imprisonment.

“Collecting this information is important to help the police and our partners understand where education and training is lacking,” Inspector Paul Laity said. “While the results are cause for concern, it presents an opportunity for the police and Trading Standards to work closely with retailers across the city to improve education about the legalities, risks and penalties associated with selling bladed items to minors.”

Each shop receives a pass or reject letter from the police with information on the National Criminal Business Centre’s Knife Dealer Toolkit, which provides information on what to do and what not to do.

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