RICHMOND: Shops facing court for underage knife sales

9:43am Wednesday 8th October 2008

A recent sting operation by police has exposed six shops - two thirds of those tested - for selling knives to youngsters.

Four of the guilty businesses were given a slap on the wrists and warned by officers while two are being taken to court.

The shops facing prosecution for selling knives to police cadets, all 15, were Hardware & Gardens, in Lower Mortlake Road and Richmond DIY, in Upper Richmond Road West.

Nine stores were tested by the cadets and plain clothes officers on Saturday, September 27, and only three refused to sell the potential weapon.

Borough commander Detective Chief Superintendent, Rick Turner, said the police would not be complacent, despite knife crime in the borough being down 58 per cent.

He continued: “This operation is part of a range of options we have and will continue to use to tackle youth violence.

“We will be conducting more operations like this in the coming months across the borough.

“We want to ensure everybody has a clear understanding of the law around knife sales.

“They should take all reasonable steps and exercise diligence to avoid committing any offences.”

Any person can be charged under Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 if caught selling a knife, knife blade, razor blade, any axe, sword or other object which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for causing injury to the person, to under 18.

It is not an offence if the person is 16 or over and the knife or blade is designed for domestic use.