Why yes the Police can be a bit clueless at times .

[Druid799]

Well I’ve just had a visit from the old bill because I’d been flagged by the Border Agency for attempting to import an ‘illegal offensive weapon’ ! So he introduced himself showed his warrant card and said he was from the anti-knife and gang crime unit , said weapon was a small(blade was just under 3inches) fixed bladed neck knife.

he runs through his “knives are bad” speech then asks why I wanted such a deadly weapon ? I then explained that I do collect all kinds of different knives (at this point you could see him giving the “not THAT old chestnut again !” Look)so I showed him some of my collection , that are mounted inside deep picture frames on the wall of the dining room/chill out/music room So you can see but NOT touch ! Then showed him a few of my very expensive ones(that cost hundreds of pounds each)by now you could see he was getting a bit “err he’s not who I thought he would be ?” Look on his face probably because where I live is considered an economically deprived area (which happens to be very close to work for me and the mrs AND the houses are relatively dirt cheap , so bit of a no brainier really !)he then starts muttering about knife crime/knife laws so I replied in a calm and I’d say respectful way with the appropriate legislation ref knife ownership and how you may or may not use or carry a bladed implement in the UK AND what are legal/illegal to own let alone carry , so I mentioned Butterfly knives , punch daggers , button release knives at this point he looked at me and said “button release ?” , “the ones with a spring inside that sends the blade out when you push the button ?” he goes “oh you mean a flick knife”(flick is just one of several different types of spring assist knives) ! Any way long and the short of it I got a slight slap on the wrist and told I mustn’t import prohibited weapons . As a passing question I asked him why was it considered prohibited when I’m buying it from abroad but I can quite legally buy the same knife in the UK and only reason I was buying from over seas was its out of stock in the UK ? His reply ? “Oh the UK shops have a licence to import and sell them you don’t ” WTF ! 🤦‍♂️

[Sniper780]

14 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

attempting to import an ‘illegal offensive weapon’

Have/did Border force seized and confiscated your parcel, then send the police round to have a chat, or did they send you a letter saying your goods had been seized, then send the police round?

 

Also will your item be destroyed?

[Tackle]

Was it this fella ? 

[Guest]

What a knob, you’d think they’d send somebody around who knew what they were talking about ffs.

 

 

[Groot]

[Cr0-Magnon]

I had a similar experience after buying a RIF from Asia (border force letter and visit). Not sure on the law regarding knives, I do however know that an import licence is a real thing.

[EvilMonkee]

I wouldn't have even let him in the front door without some form of warrant.  They have zero right to come into your home.  And I am a copper (Civvie/Military) of 20 odd years...

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, Druid799 said:

“Oh the UK shops have a licence to import and sell them you don’t ”

 

It doesn't sound like a CJA 1988 prohibited weapon.  If it were, then, yes, it's an offence to import, but there's a specific offence of "manufactures, sells or hires or offers for sale or hire, exposes or has in his possession for the purpose of sale or hire, or lends or gives to any other person".  Exceptions rely on intent, not a loicence.  That's not to say that one doesn't exist, but I can't see that it has any basis in law.

 

 

 

The legislation is, I'm sure we know, a bit of joke, although not so funny when Dibble is kicking on your door to Check Your Thinking.

 

It prohibits both hollow tubes ("blowpipes") and solid tubes ("batons"), aka sticks. Then we get to this absolute gem.

 

(s) the weapon sometimes known as a “zombie knife”, “zombie killer knife” or “zombie slayer knife”, being a blade with—

(i) a cutting edge;

(ii) a serrated edge; and

(iii) images or words (whether on the blade or handle) that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence.

 

Hurty words confirmed!

 

Good on you for taking it calmly, I'm not sure I'd have been that reasonable.

 

It does show that Border Farce are getting rabid for ratting folk out, and apparently they don't know the law either because on the face of it it sounds like what you imported was no more dangerous, prohibited or offensive than a spud peeler.  I'm guessing that the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which criminalised simple possession of a range of prohibited offensive weapons, is still a hot topic for Dibble, and is being enforced based on canteen wisdom rather than the letter of the law.

[shadowfacex]

Just to note here, that Border Force and police are just people ensuring the law gets implemented as per legislation. Some of the time they can be overzealous or overly concerned officers that have little idea of how to implement the shit that the Parliament is responsible for writing into law.

 

There’s been several cases of police officers visiting lawful gun owners in Dorset to try and take those guns away from them on some flimsy basis, or issuing blank certificates to lure them into the trap of “fill it yourself”, definitely ATF-style.

 

I have a problem with this woke government in particular; they basically try to expand a list of everyday items that can be considered as an “offensive weapon.” As we know per the very educational Bourne franchise, even a ballpoint pen can be a deadly weapon in the right hands, does that mean we should ban all ballpoint pens?

 

There’s a great series of video by the BlackBeltBarrister on YT about Knife Law, I recommend this. He also did demonstrate the extent of applicability of the law in practical terms.

 

 

[Druid799]

4 hours ago, Sniper780 said:

Have/did Border force seized and confiscated your parcel, then send the police round to have a chat, or did they send you a letter saying your goods had been seized, then send the police round?

Also will your item be destroyed?

border Farce have seized and destroyed and then in formed the plod .

 

4 hours ago, rocketdogbert said:

What a knob, you’d think they’d send somebody around who knew what they were talking about ffs.

Scary thing was he’s from the knife crime unit ! 😳

 

3 hours ago, EvilMonkee said:

I wouldn't have even let him in the front door without some form of warrant.  They have zero right to come into your home.  And I am a copper (Civvie/Military) of 20 odd years...

To be honest he totally threw me when he introduced him self and then straight away said “you’ve been reported too us , so I’m here so hopefully we can clear it up asap” I let him in as I was quite stunned and had switched in to “fuck what have I done this time ?!?!” Mode ! and didn’t think to ask about warrants or the allegation before he came in .

[Tackle]

To be fair, most law abiding folk will respond in kind to a courteous approach, it's the heavy handed nazi approach that gets your back up 🤬. 

BUT was the law broken ?, if not then surely they now owe you ? 

[shadowfacex]

55 minutes ago, Tackle said:

most law abiding folk will respond in kind to a courteous approach

 

That’s exactly how these gun owners in question responded. Also, I made a mistake, it was the Devon and Cornwall police.

 

Check this out: 

 

 

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, shadowfacex said:

Just to note here, that Border Force and police are just people ensuring the law gets implemented as per legislation

 

I'd characterise it as "only following orders".

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

'The bigger boys made me do it.'

 

[Skullchewer]

Clearly that officer has NOT played knifey spoony before.

[Hudson]

[John_W]

Some time ago we had an officer from the Gun Crime Unit come in to the school I worked in to talk to the students.

Caught the last part of her presentation where she spoke.about the law and replica weapons.

Totaly clueless...

[shadowfacex]

9 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

'The bigger boys made me do it.'

 

 

Don’t mind him, like everyone who got “questioned” before the Nuremberg trials, he got his balls crushed so hard by the Soviets who were running the show, that by the time he got to the room, he was singing about everything they did during the war.

 

Nevertheless, I agree with you all. “Just doing my job” is not enough. Not for the public service sector. These guys are employed for the benefit of the public, not the public servants themselves, however the reality these days is starkly different.

[Lozart]

I see Godwins Law is in full effect in this thread then.

[Druid799]

13 hours ago, shadowfacex said:

 

That’s exactly how these gun owners in question responded. Also, I made a mistake, it was the Devon and Cornwall police.

 

Check this out: 

 

 

Well that’s scary as hell , just reinforces my conclusion that most police officers responsible for policing the section of the law responsible for control of ‘dangerous items’(wether firearms/knives/etc)  any workable knowledge about the subjects there supposed to be the ‘experts’ on ! 
PS @Lozart , I blame Mussolini he started it all ! 😉

[tinkle60]

14 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

Well that’s scary as hell , just reinforces my conclusion that most police officers responsible for policing the section of the law responsible for control of ‘dangerous items’(wether firearms/knives/etc)  any workable knowledge about the subjects there supposed to be the ‘experts’ on ! 
PS @Lozart , I blame Mussolini he started it all ! 😉

 

Under resourced and in some cases incompetent. I work next door to an RFD and he was recently asked to provide 2 years worth of firearms transfers despite sending each one in on time. Seems law abiding citizens and businesses do all they can to stay on the right side of the law, but the authorities can't or won't do their part.

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, tinkle60 said:

he was recently asked to provide 2 years worth of firearms transfers despite sending each one in on time

 

I suspect that was a knee-jerk reaction to that incel sperg[*] who went postal in Plymouth last year after having his shotgun certificate (and shotgun) removed, and then reinstated.

 

As always, the majority get punished when the only two people responsible were the loony, and the loony-hugger who gave them back their gun.

 

[*] Literally, not figuratively.

[Druid799]

6 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

I suspect that was a knee-jerk reaction to that incel sperg[*] who went postal in Plymouth last year after having his shotgun certificate (and shotgun) removed, and then reinstated.

 

As always, the majority get punished when the only two people responsible were the loony, and the loony-hugger who gave them back their gun.

 

[*] Literally, not figuratively.

Unfortunately I do believe your not wrong with this as we now live in a society where individual blame isn’t allowed to be given anymore , the culture now is ‘shared guilt’ so no one can feel able to make an accusation of bullying or being picked on .
In the ‘old days’ it was a case off “you fucked up don’t do it again , lesson learnt move on” but now that isn’t allowed so when an individual does screw up the two options are either collective guilt or diving in to the nightmare that is HR , paperwork/meetings/investigations/public relations and possible litigation all for something that could have been sorted with a simple Bollocking and this now runs through all levels of society no matter what the severity(or lack of) the incident may have .

[Oneshotscott]

Don't ridicule them for doing their job when you made the mistake /error yourself.

 

Keeping knives out of the hands of wierd people with intentions to do harm should be welcomed. 

 

Stop moaning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tackle]

34 minutes ago, Oneshotscott said:

Don't ridicule them for doing their job when you made the mistake /error yourself.

 

Keeping knives out of the hands of wierd people with intentions to do harm should be welcomed. 

 

Stop moaning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To quote an old adage, "knives don't kill people, people kill people", you think taking all the "zombie knives" & other associated crap off the shelves is gonna stop people being stabbed ?, is it fuck, the whole thing was just yet another government knee jerk reaction, probably to cover up a completely different non related matter that it didn't want talked about. 

In the same vein, no pun intended, bout 15 years ago, following another surge in "stabbiness", a group of A&E doctors tried to raise a petition to the government of the time to ban the import & sale of all pointed knives, but as was quickly pointed out, all the scrotes etc would do is raid their mums kitchen drawers, or start making shivs from literally everything available. 

 

No, if the police are gonna try to enforce the law, ANY LAW, best they know what they're talking about first, & if the intention is to prevent harm being done, maybe properly lock up the habitual criminals, the repeat offenders who it seems know how to work the crap system to their advantage. 

Like the fact that if your subject to a stop & search, found to be in possession of a bladed article but not in the process of committing a crime with it, not only are you likely to escape prosecution, you will probably get the knife back, if you ask nicely lol.

Like the lad in London, a known gang member caught with 15 knives (I think ?), slap on the wrist & his brief asked for the knives to be returned😬