Tech execs who fail to stop dangerous and illegal knives being
advertised on their platforms will be held personally liable
under plans announced by the government today (Wednesday 13
November).
To combat the unacceptable use of social media and online
marketplaces to market illegal weapons and glorify violence,
senior executives of social media companies will face personal
fines if they fail to remove illegal content swiftly.
In a consultation published today, proposals include giving
police the power to issue notices to senior executives of online
companies, ordering them to remove specific pieces of content –
potentially within two days. If the company fails to act on this,
the police will send a second notice to the senior executive in
that company, who would then be personally liable for a
significant fine if they too fail to act.
This is the latest step to meet the government's pledge to halve
knife crime over the next decade.
The government is also progressing its commitment to ban Ninja
swords following a determined campaign by Pooja Kanda, the mother
of Ronan Kanda who was tragically killed using one of these
weapons in 2022. Today, it will publish a consultation to
finalise the description of this deadly weapon – the first step
towards bringing forward the change in legislation.
And after a sharp rise in robberies at knife-point, which is
driving the steep increase in knife crime nationally, the Home
Secretary recently chaired the first meeting of a dedicated new
taskforce focused on rapid action to curb this trend. A
nationwide policing effort is underway this week, coordinated by
the National Police Chiefs' Council, where forces will target
robbery hotspots to prevent violent crime.
Home Secretary :
“The epidemic of knife crime that has grown over the last decade
is devastating families and communities right across the country.
That's why this government has set out an unprecedented mission
to halve knife crime over the next decade and today we're taking
determined action to get lethal blades off Britain's streets.
“That means tough new sanctions for technology executives who
fail to tackle illegal knife sales on their platforms, and a
comprehensive ban on ninja swords. These announcements follow the
tireless campaigning of Pooja Kanda, whose son Ronan was killed
in 2022, after his teenage killer unlawfully obtained a ninja
sword online. Those who enable or perpetrate these crimes must
face the full force of the law.”
Pooja Kanda said:
“ I am very relieved that today the government have kept their
promise to proactively ban the ninja sword that killed my son and
protect others from having the same fate. I'd like to thank the
Home Office for all they have done and urge everyone to complete
the consultation and share it so we can have a safer future”
Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs'
Council Lead for knife crime said:
“For far too long, deadly weapons have been far too easily
accessible online, with content promoting their use for
protection and combat rife on many platforms and seemingly little
being done to remove it. We welcome the chance to take part in
the consultation and explore the most effective means of
achieving this, including using the findings of the ongoing
online sales review.
“Policing continues to work hard to tackle knife crime but we
cannot do this alone. The announcement today will provide
additional measures in the fight against tackling the supply of
these weapons and support us in our mission to drive down knife
crime and make our communities safer for everyone.”
These new powers will support the work of Commander Stephen
Clayman, who is also leading a review into the online sale of
knives. Commissioned by the Home Secretary in September, the
review will identify what more needs to be done to stop knives
being sold illegally online. Commander Clayman will report back
to the Home Secretary by the end of January 2025.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The two consultation documents mentioned will be published
tomorrow (Wednesday 12 November).
