The public is being urged to surrender any so-called ‘zombie’ knives to designated police stations across Staffordshire as the government looks to launch its national amnesty compensation scheme next week.

The scheme, which runs from 26 August until 23 September, comes before zombie-style knives and machetes become banned in England and Wales on 24 September. The campaign invites owners of such knives to properly package, seal and hand them over at designated police stations, without repercussions, in order to be considered for compensation from the Home Office.

Zombie-style knives are defined as bladed articles with a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, and a blade of over eight inches in length. They also frequently have a serrated cutting edge, more than two sharp points in the blade, spikes and more than one hole in the blade.

In order to be eligible for the compensation, individuals must provide proof of ownership and value of the item at the time of surrender. The weapon must also be packaged safely and wrapped in a sealed bag or box.

Anyone wishing to surrender their ‘zombie-style’ knife should do so directly to front counter staff at one of the scheme’s designated police stations. In Staffordshire, these stations are:

• Longton police station, Sutherland Road, Longton, ST3 1HH

• Cannock police station, 15 Wolverhampton Road, Cannock, WS11 1AW

• Burton-on-Trent police station, Horninglow Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1PA

Those surrendering their weapons must ensure that:

• The weapon/s are securely wrapped and sealed in a bag or box
• Not carried openly
• Not removed from packaging until instructed to do so by a police officer or member of police staff
• You will then be offered a secure space at the station, where possible, to place the knife into a knife tube before handing over.

Once the weapon/s and proof of ownership have been checked and taken by a member of Staffordshire Police, owners will be asked if they would like to apply for compensation and be handed a form to complete, which the force will send to the Home Office for consideration.

After the Home Office has reviewed the form, proof of ownership and the weapon/s, payment will be arranged and police will destroy the surrendered knife.

Surrender bins will also be available at the designated stations for anonymous drop-offs of any kind of knife without compensation.

Dave Barrow, Stoke South Local Police Team Commander, who is the officer involved in the scheme for Staffordshire Police, said:

“I would encourage anyone in possession of these types of knives to come forward and deposit them either with officers at a designated station, or anonymously at a surrender bin, before they become illegal.

“By giving the public the chance to hand over these weapons, we will be able to help ensure we get these knives out of our communities, protecting the people of Staffordshire from the devastating impact of knife crime.”

The amnesty compensation scheme was approved by Parliament earlier this year as an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988. More information on the government’s plan can be found here: Nationwide call to surrender all zombie-style knives and machetes – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

In Staffordshire, the scheme follows our ongoing commitment to tackling knife crime, with our #DitchtheBlade campaign in November 2023 resulting in a total of 980 knives being recovered from surrender bins across the county.