Ban sales of pointed kitchen knives as there is no reason for them in modern world, says Church of England
A ban on the sale of pointed kitchen knives has been demanded by the Church of England as it says there is no reason for them in the modern world.
In a letter to ministers backed by a judge, top trauma doctors and psychiatrists, police and victims, Church of England bishops say re-designing domestic knives to give them rounded ends would combat knife crime by making “life-threatening” injuries “far less likely.”
They say sharp knife points were only used historically to pick up food because forks had not been invented and it was a time when they could be carried openly. Sharp points remain only as an anachronistic hangover from 18th century Britain during which forks became commonplace.
“Now we only need the point to open packets when we can’t be bothered to find the scissors,” said the Right Reverend James Langstaff, the Bishop of Rochester, the lead signatory and Bishop to HM Prisons.
He cited a five-year study in Edinburgh which found that 94 per cent of the sharp instruments used in homicides were kitchen knives.
Previously-unpublished research by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch also showed rounded knives had a significantly lower penetrative capability than pointed knives.
Using a block of gelatine coated in mock leather as skin and cotton to simulate clothing, stab tests showed a pointed knife needed less than five joules of force to penetrate a body, compared with up to 24 joules for a rounded knife.
It meant that stabbing a “victim” with a rounded knife equated to having the same protection as if the person was wearing a police anti-stab vest.
The Church of England is now launching a Parliamentary petition to build public and political backing for a law change to require “the sale of safe kitchen knife designs and restrict those designs which have been used in so many acts of violence.”
A “newpoint” knife, with a rounded tip instead of a point, has been patented by designer John Cornock and approved by the Home Office’s Design and Technology Alliance.
Cutlery manufacturers Rayware have also launched a range of knives with rounded ends which they say are “impossible to stab someone with.”. The Liverpool-based firm which owns major kitchenware brands including Viners is to sell the blades 3.5 to 8 inches long from January for between £3.50 and £5.
Professor John Crichton, a forensic psychiatrist and chair of the royal college of psychiatrists in Scotland, said the introduction of rounded point knives offered a similar seachange in crime prevention as the removal of carbon monoxide from domestic gas supplies, curbs on paracetamol or seatbelts.
Professor Crichton, who was one of the experts invited to Boris Johnson’s knife crime summit, said: “For 99 per cent of ordinary kitchen tasks, the point is not required.
“I have been using the ‘newpoint’ knife. I had difficulty cutting a pumpkin and filleting fish. For that I have a traditional pointed knife securely stored away. This is about making it commonly accepted that for the vast, vast majority of kitchen tasks a much safer option is available.”
Among those also backing the campaign are Martin Griffiths, a trauma surgeon at Barts NHS health trust, Duncan Bew, a trauma surgeon at King’s College Hospital, and Judge Nic Madge, a retired circuit court judge.
“The UK has worked for the public good by restricting handguns, paracetamol, smoking in public and plastic bags – now it is time to say ‘no bloody point,’” says their letter.
Reverend Nathan Ward, vicar at St Margaret’s Church, Rainham, and a leading knife crime campaigner, said: “We are not saying this will stop knife crime. You could still slash people but you are far less likely to die from a slashing than with a pointed knife.”
The Government has reclassified kitchen knives as offensive weapons within its Offensive Weapons Act 2019, leading some retailers including Asda and Tesco to remove single knives from sale in retail stores.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are taking action to tackle the scourge of knife crime by giving police new powers to seize dangerous weapons, making it easier to use stop and search and recruiting 20,000 new officers over the next three years.
“Our Offensive Weapons Act will also help to stop knives making their way onto our streets in the first place, and we continue to work with high street retailers to prevent the underage sale of knives both in stores and online.”
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