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<p>We know that knives are used for legitimate purposes by the vast majority of people.
Bladed articles with pointed ends have legitimate uses and are often needed for a
wide range of purposes, including as tools for work for instance in farming or fishing
and in private such as in the household for use during cooking. While we are always
ready to engage with manufacturers and retailers to help ensure public safety, it
is important that the government strikes the right balance between allowing access
to knives for legitimate reasons, with the need to protect the public from dangerous
weapons. We believe the current legislation strikes the right balance. We will, however,
continue to do everything we can to ensure that people do not carry dangerous weapons
and commit violent crime in the first place.</p><p>This is why we have invested £176.5
million over two years in preventing serious violence in local communities and bolstering
police capacity to respond to serios violent crimes when they do occur.</p><p>It is
also why we have launched a consultation on new powers for the police to target those
who have been convicted of knife related offences. We will also be piloting new Knife
Crime Prevention Orders, introduced through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. These
new preventative orders will provide an additional tool for police to steer people
away from serious violence.</p>
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