Ninja sword amnesty brought in ahead of ban

It will be illegal to own, sell, or import ninja swords in England and Wales from 1 August

Nottinghamshire Police is offering a month-long amnesty for owners of ninja swords before they are banned.

From 1 August it will be illegal to own, sell, or import ninja swords in England and Wales.

It comes after changes were made when the Crime and Policing Bill went through Parliament earlier this year following campaigning by the family of Ronan Kanda, who was killed in Wolverhampton in 2022.

A ninja sword is defined as having a blade between 14in to 24in (35cm to 60cm) in length, with a tanto or reversed tanto-style point and a possible second blade attached at an angle.

Nottinghamshire Police said it was offering £5 compensation for each sword handed in to a designated police station during the four-week surrender period if it was purchased before 27 March.

Ch Insp Kylie Davies, the force's knife crime lead, said the amnesty "supports our wider work to tackle knife crime and serious violence".

"We welcome this national initiative to help rid our communities of dangerous and offensive weapons and are happy to support it," she said.

"Every weapon handed in is one less that could be used to cause harm and help to make our communities safer."