[Closed] Man arrested after police find sword during dawn raid

A link to the story may help.

Found it.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/man-arrested-after-police-find-23067483

So they were raided probably a drugs raid, they found huge amounts of drugs and a sword. They’ve arrested him for possession of drugs and of suspicion owning offensive weapon. Ny guess they didn’t think he owned it as a collector.

Why is a sword an offensive weapon in one’s own home?

Maybe it's a swears word?
Maybe he waggled his weapon at the police?

I suspect context is everything.

All my field knives are in a tin, with firelighting steels etc. And I do that for a living.

A sword under your pillow, machete behind the front door and blade in the car door pocket would be harder to justify.

Context matters too, I’d wager that a hunting style knife would be viewed very differently when it’s in a box of camping equipment, rather than stuck behind the front door with velcro.
Lol, beaten by 23 seconds

Why is a sword an offensive weapon in one’s own home?

Law has changed recently, you can no longer keep swords without a license.

https://onthewight.com/change-to-the-offensive-weapons-act-and-the-possession-of-dangerous-items-in-homes-explained/

Why is a sword an offensive weapon in one’s own home?

Certain types of sword are now illegal. I think basically cheap imitation Japanese style ones but not sure of the finer detail.
Similarily some "massive knives" are illegal if they are "zombie knives" as opposed to normal knives (which seems to mostly come down to them having writing on indicating violence but again not sure of the finer details).

Reasonable suspicion that it wasn't a family heirloom?

I have a nazi sword in my wardrobe 😀 My grandad 'liberated' it from the remains of a concentration camp in Poland shortly after it had been emptied and shortly before it was burned down.

If the Nazis were still using swords it's no wonder they lost the war...

I have a nazi sword in my wardrobe 😀 My grandad ‘liberated’ it from the remains of a concentration camp in Poland shortly after it had been emptied and shortly before it was burned down.

I grew up with one of those at home too - only it was a dress sword around a foot long. My grandad took off a Naval officer POW they rescued when they sunk a German war ship/captured it. To be fair it is a really nice artefact, if you excuse the eagle head and swastica.

teaandbiscuit
Free Member

Reasonable suspicion that it wasn’t a family heirloom?

I have a nazi sword in my wardrobe 😀 My grandad ‘liberated’ it from the remains of a concentration camp in Poland shortly after it had been emptied and shortly before it was burned down.

It’s very odd you put a smiley face because you own a Nazi sword. It’s by no means an heirloom. Perhaps it should be destroyed so it can never be used in any circumstances or looked apon as something cool - which is how you come across.

I don’t necessarily think it’s cool, but it’s certainly interesting, especially with the family story behind it. Why would you want to destroy it - does that somehow erase the crimes of the past?

He might have been in possession of it in public at an earlier point in time.

Seen it a few times back in Glasgow and the likes, you'd see a drug dealer being arrested and had the sword behind a door or somewhere that hidden for more than decorative purposes.

Always remember shops in Glasgow selling samurai swords, nunchucks, etc and they weren't decorative or the likes, same as the old joke about the sports shop in glasgow selling 1000 baseball bats, but never having sold a single baseball.

Curved sword, such as Japanese swords, are illegal to possess at home, they also seem to be popular with druggy muppets unlike an épéé or a foil.

A handy checklist for your armoury

https://nbcc.police.uk/guidance/offensive-weapons-act-2019

kilo
Full Member
Curved sword, such as Japanese swords, are illegal to possess at home, they also seem to be popular with druggy muppets unlike an épéé or a foil.

A handy checklist for your armoury

https://nbcc.police.uk/guidance/offensive-weapons-act-2019/blockquote >

Seems a bit prejudiced against ninja's!

 

Seems a bit prejudiced against ninja’s!

We can never find them anyway so in practical terms it doesn’t make any difference.

Huh, I didn't know that about the law change. I've got a cheap daisho in my umbrella stand, should probably do something about it

(and yep, bought at Victor Morris in Glasgow- the guy cheerfully told me that they'd had someone buy a knife, then later the same day try to return it for a refund, with blood on it)

I appear to have to destroy the Katana that my dad brought back from Japan in the 70s… Fortunately, the 1.3m sword hung on the wall beside it at my parents house is a broadsword, so apparently completely legal.

If anyone hasn't seen it I'd strongly recommend the film 'Shooters'* (free on YT), there's a geezer on there with a sword.

*also highly recommended by Will Self as it happens

I have s funny if not slightly traffic of a sword wielding gangster in Coatbridge, sent his sidekick home from a niff-naff in a nightclub to fetch his samurai sword. Came back with it and the big guy had it ready to go at someone, raised it up over and behind his head and in doing so stabbed his sidekick in the head and killed him. Oops.

Otherwise I have two c.2ft knives bought for weed having purposes but never used. They're now hidden in the house in case burglars / zombies invade. Is that illegal?

Reading that link above Jimmy I’d say not necessarily, but it all depends on context. The offensive weapons act seems to primarily relate to certain types of weapon ie zombie knives, so unless you have 2 of these then they shouldn’t be illegal, but I’m guessing if you have them taped to the back of your front door, then that may be problematic? Not sure. I have a hand axe next to the fireplace for chopping kindling. Almost certainly not illegal. Also a thing for chopping weeds, very similar to a machete, in the utility room with the rest of the gardening gear, again not illegal. Would it be illegal for me to keep them in my bedside table though? Not sure?

Edit: this is assuming they are not curved blades over 50cm, in which case they are simply illegal.

police find sword during dawn raid

oooer!

I reckon I'd have a number of questions to answer with my kitchen rack that wouldn't look out of place in a butchers shop 😆  From my steak knives,10",12" and of course the giant machete sized 14", couple or 3 boning knives, cleaver, proper bone saw and chainmail, as well as the usual professional chefs knives.

Then there's the three axes, hand and felling. All in all quite an arsenal.

I've seen this on the Police Cops type programs. Police raid someone's house, find nothing or maybe a bit of cannabis, then take the person's kitchen knives away and talk about taking weapons off the street.

Otherwise I have two c.2ft knives bought for weed having purposes but never used. They’re now hidden in the house in case burglars / zombies invade. Is that illegal?

Well seeing as they are being kept 'ready' I'd say so.

I reckon I’d have a number of questions to answer

Doubtful, unless plod is total plonker.

take the person’s kitchen knives away and talk about taking weapons off the street.

Which are then paraded as part of a gigantic haul, with the implication these are the results of police raids or taken away from nasty and out of control would be teenage gangsters, and put in front of the cameras as such, before some artist makes a game of thrones type of sculpture out of them.

I've and most of my employers have handed in boxes of ex butchery knives that were beyond use in the workplace. As do many members of the public. Which is where the majority usually come from.

But that doesnt look as good on camera if they've only actually taken a couple of dozen.