Information obtained by the BBC beneath the Freedom of Data Act confirmed that in 2023 the three sorts of weapons had been talked about in additional than 14,000 crimes recorded by 32 police forces in England and Wales.
In 2019, there have been 7,159 offences recorded as involving the big blades, which rose to 14,195 in 2023.
Almost 10,000 of the offences recorded in 2023 concerned machetes, double the quantity from 5 years earlier than, the broadcaster reported.
This week a ban on proudly owning zombie-style knives and machetes comes into power, following a four-week amnesty when homeowners had been inspired at hand the weapons into police, native authorities or knife crime charities.
The ban is a part of efforts to scale back knife crime, which embody campaigners corresponding to actor Idris Elba pushing for the big blades to be outlawed.
The Authorities plans to additionally ban ninja swords sooner or later.
Right here is the whole lot we all know in regards to the incoming ban.
Zombie knives, beneath the brand new definition of the regulation, are deemed as knives with a sharpened blade which might be longer than 8 inches (20cm).
They may even have a serrated leading edge, a couple of gap within the blade, spikes, and greater than two sharp factors within the blade beneath the brand new regulation phrases.
Zombie knives take their title from the weapons utilized in horror movies involving the undead – and is a time period that dates again to 2011.
When is the ban coming into power?
Zombie knives had been first banned in 2016 however new definitions designed to outlaw extra blades will take impact in England and Wales on Tuesday September 24.
What would be the sentences for these discovered carrying banned knives?
From Tuesday September 24, police will be capable of seize any such weapons they discover and prosecute the proprietor. Possession of banned weapons, even when simply in a drawer at dwelling, can imply a jail sentence of greater than 4 years.
