Camping Knife, Crossing Uk Border???

I do seem to remember stainless steel ones, but figured the carbon steel ones to be working knives.

As a Channel Islander I came across Opinel in the French sea port of St Malo, so associated them with boats, fishing and being working tools. Figured there must be a trade off - super sharp, simple, locking blade all spoke of a working tool, but with the limitation that it rusts if not looked after.

Being in St Malo, as a boy, I figured the French Pirates of old probably used them, before stainless steel was invented !

 

I have about 50 or so Spyderco knives, some legal to carry, others must remain indoors. If you're interested in getting a new, UK legal knife then I can suggest Heinnie Haynes and you can filter for UK friendly folding knives. They can also advise on the steel type, as some steels are greater than others.

 

1. The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 prohibits the manufacture, sale or hire, the exposure or possession
2. for the purposes of sale or hire, or the lending or giving to another person, of a flick-knife or gravity knife. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 4 (£2,500), or
3. The Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to manufacture, import, sell or hire, expose or possess for the purposes of sale or hire, or lend or give to another person any specified offensive
   Fifteen weapons have been specified as offensive weapons in Offensive Weapons Orders under this Act. These include sword sticks, push daggers, death stars and butterfly knives. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is six months imprisonment and a fine not exceeding level 5 (£5,000), or both.
4. The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 prohibits the carrying of offensive weapons without ‘good reason’. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (£5,000), or both. The maximum penalty on conviction on indictment is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 4 years, or a fine or
5. The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 also prohibits the carrying of knives and other articles with blades or points in public places without ‘good reason’, eg. for use at work, religious obligation or part of national costume. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (£5,000), or The maximum penalty on conviction on indictment is imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or a fine, or both. There is an exemption for folding pocket knives with a cutting edge of three inches or less which is identical to England and Wales legislation.
6. The Knives Act 1997 makes it an offence to market a knife in a way which indicates that it is suitable for The maximum penalty on summary conviction is imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (£5,000), or both. The maximum penalty on conviction on indictment is imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or a fine, or both.
7. The Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 raises the age from 16 to 18 years at which a person may purchase a knife, knife blade, razor blade, axes, swords or any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person. The Act allows sales of knives to those aged 16 upwards if the knife or blade is ‘designed for domestic use’.
8. The Custodial Sentences & Weapons Act 2007 brings new restrictions for sellers of knives and bladed/pointed items. Sellers will be required to become registered knife dealers. This law is complex and BASC has produced a specific guide to knife dealer licensing – see end of this page for more details.
9. The Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 amends the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The amendments provide that a passport, a driving licence or such other document as the Scottish ministers may by Order prescribe, are valid documents such that, if they are shown to the retailer, would constitute ‘reasonable steps’ for them to have taken and, therefore, provide them with a defence to any charge in relation to the making of a sale, or hire, to an underage person of knives and certain other bladed or sharply pointed

 

I have posted the above for your delectation.

As a retired Cop who has searched thousands of people and arrested lots of folks for carrying knifes, attended numerous incident with brutal stab wounds and that has been threatened by machete wielding nutters I can say that I am thankful for the restrictions, especially in the light of society's recent penchant for slicing each other up a treat. Doubly especially as we had a teenage Murder here in Irvine beach last week; a nice place that my 16 year old Son frequents on a regular basis. Myriad scenarios now run through my head whenever he leaves the house as knife carrying has become that pervasive.

Those of you above banging on about rights and privileges to carry should know better in this current climate; you're perpetuating the same warped logic that the NRA and MAGA monkeys use in the USA and you've obviously never been up close and personal with the scenarios above and the mayhem, devastation and heartbreak it causes; not to mention the smell which sticks to you and with you.

Anyhoooo...enough preaching.

So here is the skinny from one who knows...

Carry anything in a public place with a blade longer than 3 inches and you are probably getting the jail if done so "without reasonable excuse", these being such things as a Workman employed in a public place using a bladed article for his work, a Sikh gentleman with his Kippa or me in my kilt with my skean dhu (although you will find that those are now only really available with wee blades), some even carry a dirk which is a foot long, but in my opinion they are sailing very close to the wind, also farmer working in a field with a scythe/machete/hoe etc

However it is contextual and at the Officers discretion. Take those workies out of their natural environment and into an "off duty" scenario then the interpretation can change; why would you need it if you are not at your work?

Anybody in possession, in a public place, of anything with a locking blade is committing an offence and liable to arrest. Having one in private circumstances is fine; I have several. I also own Swords, several diving knives that look proper lethal, Kukris and an AK47 bayonet (fantastically designed multi-tool made of Bakelite).

In my quick access box that goes into the back of the truck for dirt biking/off roading/camping far from anywhere are several large knives, pick axe and trenching tools for various purposes. They are never on view, aren't waved around and are securely out of sight unless used - if stopped and questioned (by a constable in uniform who has reasonable suspicion that I am or may be in possession of a prohibited item) then I have a reasonable excuse as listed above. Remember no Officer can randomly search you unless they have a "reasonable suspicion" unless under very, very rare circumstances that I won't bore you with. Refusal to submit to a random stop and search is not then grounds to conduct that search; that's a stated case IIRC.

However, if they do have that reasonable suspicion (ie intel, obs, warrant or first hand report from a member of the public) a constable may search that person, detain them for the purposes of that search and take them to a place to facilitate that search if required. To resist or obstruct that search is an offence; so don't' try and interfere with your chums search or you're getting huckled as well.

Private places - Stadiums, venues, clubs. If de management want to search all visitors as a condition of entry then that is their prerogative - no searchy - no entry, SIMPLES!

Multitools and pen knives - not really an issue unless the blade exceeds 3" or locks. I carry one on my riding jacket and view it as part of my vital break down kit. If you look at the Bat Belt that Cops wear you will see, more often than not, that they carry a multitool of some kind, they are really useful in our line of work. In fact I was recently on a ferry to NI for the NW 200 with s Swiss Army knife clearly carried on my jacket belt and nobody batted an eye, although I would normally have put it in my pannier.

I can't speak to Border Force and their regs although I would surmise that your average border guard doesn't have a full understanding of the subtleties of the the legislation and the contextual issues; he's probably just told anything with a blade is verbotten and off he trots.

International Ferries - I would advise anybody in doubt just to bag it in the hold. You are unlikely to need it in the restaurant! If questioned smile and just say it is a vital tool for camping/servicing/repairing etc

Offensive weapon - any item made, adapted or intended to cause injury. So.....made? A knife. Adapted? Sconing some cunt wi a ball peen! Intended? Smashing a bottle to create a jagged weapon and then attacking someone and slicing them up.

Although I was a Cop in Scotland the legislation and procedures is the same in other parts of the UK.

If you have any questions feel free to ask unless its to do with Traffic - I was uniform and worked for a living!

 

.....
.....
"You see, things are not the way they used to be."

 

Has the been any analysis of knife crime by ethnicity in Scotland as there has been in London?

 

Let’s ban sharpened sticks, that will solve all our problems……ffs. Bad people are bad and will use anything as a weapon. Banning solves nothing, do criminals care about the law? No that’s why they are criminals. I’m sick to death of this nanny state constantly coming down on the wrong people.