Amazon boss Jeff Bezos could face jail time amid online knife sales crackdown
Retailers selling knives online will soon be required to implement tougher verification processes and report suspicious or bulk purchases,
Retailers selling knives online will soon be required to implement tougher verification processes and report suspicious or bulk purchases, following new government measures announced this week.
The initiative, which will see stricter rules for online platforms like Amazon, aims to tackle the growing concern of underage access to dangerous weapons.
Under the new regulations, bosses of online firms such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos could face up to two years in jail if they allow knives to be sold to minors.
The government is raising the maximum prison sentences for selling knives to under-18s from six months to two years, holding both the individual processing the sale and the company’s chief executive accountable.
According to The Times, the stricter rules follow a government-commissioned review which found significant gaps in current age verification and delivery checks. The review revealed that illegal dealers sold over 2,000 knives in just 18 months, often bypassing age checks and contributing to the ease with which minors can acquire weapons online.
Retailers will be mandated to conduct a two-step ID verification process at both the point of purchase and delivery to prevent underage sales. They will also be required to report any suspicious or bulk knife purchases, especially those made by individuals attempting to resell knives illegally.
Failure to comply with these regulations could lead to serious legal consequences, including prison sentences for both individuals and company executives.
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The review found that illegal dealers sold over 2,000 knives in just 18 months, often bypassing age checks.
The case of Ronan Kanda, a 16-year-old from Wolverhampton, highlighted these vulnerabilities. One of his attackers, 16-year-old Prabjeet Veadhesa, used his mother’s ID to buy a 22-inch ninja sword online. Veadhesa had purchased multiple knives over several months, underscoring how easily minors can acquire dangerous weapons online.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Clayman, who led the review, stressed the need for urgent reform, stating, “There are more rules for buying paracetamol than buying a knife.”
The government has also announced the creation of a £1 million-funded police unit dedicated to tackling illegal online knife sales. Additional measures include harsher penalties for selling to minors and a consultation on a registration scheme for online knife retailers.
The new regulations are set to be included in the Crime and Policing Bill in the spring, marking a significant shift in how knives are sold online.
Last month, John Lewis became the first UK retailer to implement AI-powered age checks for online knife sales, in a move to prevent under-18s from purchasing kitchen knives.
The technology, developed by British company Yoti, uses facial age estimation to verify the buyer’s age.
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