Knives – Responsible retailer scheme

It is illegal to sell and deliver knives, other bladed products and corrosive substances to anyone under 18. The legislation is enforced by the police and trading standards. Sellers should always verify the age of the purchaser before a sale, and delivery companies should do so on delivery

Sale of Knives – Trading Standards law explained (PDF 100 KB)

Online training

The National Business Crime Centre have developed a training package of 5 online modules, each module consists of a short animation and knowledge.

Posters

• Shelf display DL (PDF 139 KB)
• Knife sales poster A4 (PDF 208 KB)
• A5 A board knife (PDF 311 KB)
• Knife storage and display (PDF 180 KB)
• CitizenCard physical security features (PDF 3.27 MB)
• CitizenCard Security Flyer 2024 (PDF 3.35 MB)

Good practice

• Good practice (PDF 488 KB)
• Responsible retailer agreement (PDF 187 KB) 
• Date of birth verification sheet (PDF 267 KB)