UK knife surrender scheme removes over 15,000 weapons from streets

More than 15,000 knives and other dangerous blades have been handed in to government‑backed surrender bins and a mobile collection van since July 2025, according to Home Office figures. The scheme, expanded to 45 locations across London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Yorkshire, is part of the measures introduced after the 2022 murder of 16‑year‑old Ronan Kanda with a ninja sword. Campaigner Pooda Kanda, who pushed for “Ronan’s Law”, welcomed the milestone, saying each surrendered weapon “is one less that could end a life”. Policing minister Sarah Jones highlighted the expansion and noted that knife crime overall is down 11%, knife‑enabled robberies 16% and knife‑linked homicides 26% since the last general election. Parents of other victims, including Caroline Willgoose and Martin Cosser, also praised the initiative, calling the removal of thousands of blades a “significant achievement”. The bins are managed by the charity Word 4 Weapons, while a mobile van operated by Faz Amnesty collected an additional 783 weapons.