Knives on our streets.

I personally don’t think that any religion should allow believers to carry dangerous weapons. There should be no exceptions
We are Jewish but not practising and think that if there is a God he/she/they would not waste time dictating wardrobe choices and which weapons to carry.
It is people who make these choices, not God, and they should abide by the man made laws of the land.

People in the UK, religious or not, can legally carry, without a reason, a knife, providing it has a blade of less than 3 inches and the blade is manually folded away, without a locking mechanism.

These can still cause a fair amount of damage and shouldn't be carried either, in my opinion.

Anyone wearing traditional Highland dress can also carry a knife, a sgian-dubh.

I agree that there should be zero tolerance of carrying any knives. These days knife crime is becoming what gun crime is to the US. It needs to be ‘no knives and no excuses’.

Knife crime is actually falling, although still too high of course. I don't think it should be compared to gun crime in the US
"Killings involving a knife or sharp instrument fell by 21% last year, according to figures from police forces in England and Wales.

It comes after official data previously showed that homicides had fallen to their lowest level in nearly 50 years.

"Crime statistics published on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 172 homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument were recorded by police forces in 2025, compared with 217 in 2024.

Last year's number of knife-related killings is also the lowest since comparable data was first collected in 2010-11."

Wazzam

I personally feel strongly about this and cannot believe that people of a certain religion are allowed LEGALLY to carry knives (I know it was ceremonial, but still a knife) on the streets of Britain. I think this needs sorting ASAP.

How do you feel about men in kilts wearing a knife tucked in the top of their sock ? The sgian-dubh is ceremonial and legal on the streets of Britain too.

butterandjam

Wazzam

I personally feel strongly about this and cannot believe that people of a certain religion are allowed LEGALLY to carry knives (I know it was ceremonial, but still a knife) on the streets of Britain. I think this needs sorting ASAP.

How do you feel about men in kilts wearing a knife tucked in the top of their sock ? The sgian-dubh is ceremonial and legal on the streets of Britain too.

They should be banned too.

Let me keep my Swiss Army Knife!

@butter and jam
I still personally believe, due to the current state of this country, that ALL knives should be banned.

BoggledMind

People in the UK, religious or not, can legally carry, without a reason, a knife, providing it has a blade of less than 3 inches and the blade is manually folded away, without a locking mechanism.

These can still cause a fair amount of damage and shouldn't be carried either, in my opinion.

But they are so useful. DH always carries one. I always carry the one my Dad gave me when I was 6. In my best handbag I carry the one Barnardoes gave me as a prize for fundraising. All legal.

Wazzam

@butter and jam
I still personally believe, due to the current state of this country, that ALL knives should be banned.

Show me you mean it and have really thought this through; start with your kitchen knives.

@butterandjam
Yes, I see your point. I suppose what I was trying to suggest was that all knives, legal or otherwise, have the potential to do harm. It depends on who's carrying them.

Law-abiding people like you and your husband obviously have no bad intentions.

Vickrum Digwa has appeared in court, along with his brother and father, charged with multiple weapons offences.
Vickrum, 23, who has already been sentenced for the murder of Henry Nowak, appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court to face six counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a private place.
The alleged weapons are a flick knife, an extendable baton, knuckledusters, a machete, swords and kusaris.
His father, Moga Singh, 52, and his brother, Gurpreet Digwa, 27 - who are on bail - appeared alongside him to face the same charges.
Gurpreet also faced four additional charges:
Possessing an offensive weapon, an asp, in a public place
Possessing a prohibited weapon - an air rifle
Possessing an axe in a public place
Possessing a knife in a public place
All of the offences are dated 4 December 2025, the day after Nowak was killed.

I think I can truly say that I’ve never had a need for any sort of knife when out in public. I mean, I know a penknife can be used to extract a Boy Scout out of a horse’s hoof, but how often do those circumstances arise nowadays?

Fwiw, my son was threatened with a penknife and scratched on his arm by a class mate when they were at primary school. The other boy had the knife taken away by the head teacher and told not to do it again. Today it would be local headline news.

I have a big Swiss Army knife in my glove box, and I do use it quite often, particularly when I’m out for the day or on holiday. It’s got a bottle opener, corkscrew, scissors, screwdriver, nail file and tweezers, as well as a couple of knives. I’ve had it about thirty years, I find it really useful, and I’ve never thought of it as an offensive weapon, although I guess it could be used as one.

Oh sorry. In my 2nd post I meant to add at the end 'on the streets' Obviously @butterand jam I did not mean 'kitchen knives' as you state.
In my original post what I stated was my own personal opinion the same way that you and others have expressed your own personal opinions.
I am not saying anything about 'kitchen knives' to which you are insinuating. I will not go down that road.

Fallingstar

I agree that there should be zero tolerance of carrying any knives. These days knife crime is becoming what gun crime is to the US. It needs to be ‘no knives and no excuses’.

Knife crime is absolutely nothing like gun crime in the USA, in fact it's nowhere near as bad as knife crime in the USA.

I don't believe anyone should be carrying a knife in public.

Fair enough to keep a mix of ‘tools’ in a car, many of us have a kit in the car, but on the High Street?

Something to bear in mind is that someone carries a knife, it could be taken from them and used on them, in the event of an incident or assault.

Why are they letting anyone carry a knife? It is discriminatory, can’t they see that ?

No. Knives are not the problem. Knives dont kill people. People kill people.

What must be banned in the furure? Knitting needles? Pointed sticks? Heavy bricks? Sharp poimted stones? Pillows? Pools of water? Chemicals like arsenic? Gasoline? Hat pins? Automotibe tools? Axes and hatches? Fishing lines? Razor blades?

Think about it.

Could a man's strong muscular hands be banned too? What about an automobile <-- that is a lethal weapon too. What about an umbrella? Is that a weapon?

grumppa

Let me keep my Swiss Army Knife!

Yes you can, grammpa 💗