Home deliveries of knives to be banned in government clampdown
People buying knives online will have to collect them in person under new government proposals aimed at clamping down on sales of blades to teenagers and children.
Under current law it is illegal to sell blades to under-18s but the Home Secretary said that online age-verification checks are failing to stop young people obtaining knives.
The proposed legislation would mean people will have to collect knives in person from a shop where they will have to show proof of age.
Announcing her intention to tighten the law, Amber Rudd said: "We are announcing new measures to combat knife crime and the devastating impact it has on families, individuals and communities.
Ms Rudd said that the current option of buying knives "by the click of a button" must be stopped.
"We have evidence that young people have been able to buy knives without verifying their ID and I want to stop that."
She said it was a "perfectly reasonable" step to take, pointing to figures indicating that almost three-quarters of online retailers which should carry out age verification checks are not doing so.
Arrangements for how online sellers without physical shops can comply will be considered as part of a consultation to be launched later this year.
Calls for action on internet sales intensified last year after a court heard a knife used in the fatal stabbing of Bailey Gwynne, an Aberdeen schoolboy, was purchased online..
The new drive will also aim to close a loophole that means police can be powerless to act if they discover knives in someone's home.
A ban on the possession of outlawed weapons such as zombie knives and knuckledusters on private property would mean officers can seize them and make arrests.
The consultation will also seek views on whether the offence of possessing a knife in a public place and school premises should be extended to higher education institutions.
Recent national crime figures showed the majority of police forces - 33 out of 44 - registered a rise in offences involving knives and sharp instruments last year.
Officers say youths are keeping blades on them for reasons including "status" and self-protection, as well as crime.