Id like to suggest another response to this thread discussing UK Points and Blades legislation. Many forum members have expressed a desire to carry pocket tools just in case they need them, and are concerned that they will fall foul of the law. So, what items are legal within UK legislation, and are they any good?
To summarise the relevant provisions, and save people from reading the rather large legal thread if they dont want to, the carriage in public of any of the following will always be illegal:
Any bladed or pointed article may if the person having it with them has criminal intent i.e. to use the item as a weapon, or in various crimes [burglary, theft, criminal damage etc.]
Any banned knife [flick knife, switchblade, gravity knife, push dagger, balisong, disguised or stealth knife]
The carriage of any other bladed or pointed article is illegal unless it is part of a religious requirement [e.g. Sikh Kirpan], part of a national dress [e.g. Scottish Sgian Dubh], for use at work [anything from a carpet fitters Stanley knife to a BASIC doctors scalpel], with specific lawful authority [e.g. military, police officers], or with reasonable excuse.
For reasonable excuse, read a justifiable, provable and demonstrable reason for having the item in question in their possession at the specific time and location in question. That is my wording, not the law, but the law specifically does state that in questions of reasonable excuse the burden of proof lies with the person carrying the item, not for the police to prove they did not have such a reason. The burden of proof for reasonable excuse is balance of probabilities, and this is the test that the police [and if they arent happy, the CPS and eventually a court] will apply. Context is everything, and proving your genuine reason to a police officer on the street is infinitely preferable to having to do so back at the police station, or in court. A bushcraft knife well-wrapped in the bottom of a rucksack with the rest of your camp gear, either on the way to, or from, or at a campsite, should not cause any problems at all. That same knife in a central London bar is going to cause its owner significant problems.
The law recognises that many people want to carry a pocket knife or tool, and section 139 Criminal Justice Act 1988 specifies that which may be carried legally without reason or qualification a folding pocket knife, the blade of which has a cutting edge that does not exceed 3 inches [76 mm]. Caselaw has refined this definition to exclude locking blades, so a pocket knife with a blade under 3 inches will still require reasonable excuse if the blades lock.
You cant take anything sharp airside at an airport hold luggage only. Schools have their own specific anti-knife legislation and carriage of knives at schools is best avoided. Finally, any private premises can require search as a condition of entry, and refuse access to someone if they dont like something theyre carrying. The London Eye and London Underground are two such premises that have required search on entry in the past, along with most nightclubs and football grounds.
So, please suggest and/or review your UK-legal, s139 CJA88-compliant, sub-3, non-locking pocket knives and tools here Thanks!
Ill start with a few that Im acquainted with.
When up town, and without the need to chop trees up, I have a soft spot for the Leatherman Squirt P4 and/or Victorinox Rambler. No chance of upsetting the most inner-city of police officers with either of these on the key-ring, and they can comfortably perform most urban tasks without weighing my trouser pockets down.
Pocket-knife wise, I have a soft spot for the ubiquitous Swiss Army knife, for many reasons functionality, low cost, and public perception - everyone knows that Swiss Army knives are for scouts / horses hooves, not unpleasantness. I like the Farmer [aluminium scales] and the Huntsman [good balance of functionality against weight and bulk.] The saw on either is excellent.
Pocket tool wise, the Leatherman Kick has full-size pliers and s139-legal blades. The Leatherman Juice models have smaller pliers, but I find them more ergonomically and aesthetically-pleasing, with the CS4 having a great balance between functions and bulk.
Spyderco make two specifically UK-legal knives, the Pride and the UK Pocket Knife. The UKPK is very nice, but its appearance is more tactical than bushcraft, and is likely to pique the curiosity of most police and non-knife people, in my personal opinion. The UK Pride is less so, but I sometimes wonder pessimistically if one-handed openers might gain the attention of legislators at some stage.
Hopefully, a lot of suitable alternatives will get identified.
To summarise the relevant provisions, and save people from reading the rather large legal thread if they dont want to, the carriage in public of any of the following will always be illegal:
Any bladed or pointed article may if the person having it with them has criminal intent i.e. to use the item as a weapon, or in various crimes [burglary, theft, criminal damage etc.]
Any banned knife [flick knife, switchblade, gravity knife, push dagger, balisong, disguised or stealth knife]
The carriage of any other bladed or pointed article is illegal unless it is part of a religious requirement [e.g. Sikh Kirpan], part of a national dress [e.g. Scottish Sgian Dubh], for use at work [anything from a carpet fitters Stanley knife to a BASIC doctors scalpel], with specific lawful authority [e.g. military, police officers], or with reasonable excuse.
For reasonable excuse, read a justifiable, provable and demonstrable reason for having the item in question in their possession at the specific time and location in question. That is my wording, not the law, but the law specifically does state that in questions of reasonable excuse the burden of proof lies with the person carrying the item, not for the police to prove they did not have such a reason. The burden of proof for reasonable excuse is balance of probabilities, and this is the test that the police [and if they arent happy, the CPS and eventually a court] will apply. Context is everything, and proving your genuine reason to a police officer on the street is infinitely preferable to having to do so back at the police station, or in court. A bushcraft knife well-wrapped in the bottom of a rucksack with the rest of your camp gear, either on the way to, or from, or at a campsite, should not cause any problems at all. That same knife in a central London bar is going to cause its owner significant problems.
The law recognises that many people want to carry a pocket knife or tool, and section 139 Criminal Justice Act 1988 specifies that which may be carried legally without reason or qualification a folding pocket knife, the blade of which has a cutting edge that does not exceed 3 inches [76 mm]. Caselaw has refined this definition to exclude locking blades, so a pocket knife with a blade under 3 inches will still require reasonable excuse if the blades lock.
You cant take anything sharp airside at an airport hold luggage only. Schools have their own specific anti-knife legislation and carriage of knives at schools is best avoided. Finally, any private premises can require search as a condition of entry, and refuse access to someone if they dont like something theyre carrying. The London Eye and London Underground are two such premises that have required search on entry in the past, along with most nightclubs and football grounds.
So, please suggest and/or review your UK-legal, s139 CJA88-compliant, sub-3, non-locking pocket knives and tools here Thanks!
Ill start with a few that Im acquainted with.
When up town, and without the need to chop trees up, I have a soft spot for the Leatherman Squirt P4 and/or Victorinox Rambler. No chance of upsetting the most inner-city of police officers with either of these on the key-ring, and they can comfortably perform most urban tasks without weighing my trouser pockets down.
Pocket-knife wise, I have a soft spot for the ubiquitous Swiss Army knife, for many reasons functionality, low cost, and public perception - everyone knows that Swiss Army knives are for scouts / horses hooves, not unpleasantness. I like the Farmer [aluminium scales] and the Huntsman [good balance of functionality against weight and bulk.] The saw on either is excellent.
Pocket tool wise, the Leatherman Kick has full-size pliers and s139-legal blades. The Leatherman Juice models have smaller pliers, but I find them more ergonomically and aesthetically-pleasing, with the CS4 having a great balance between functions and bulk.
Spyderco make two specifically UK-legal knives, the Pride and the UK Pocket Knife. The UKPK is very nice, but its appearance is more tactical than bushcraft, and is likely to pique the curiosity of most police and non-knife people, in my personal opinion. The UK Pride is less so, but I sometimes wonder pessimistically if one-handed openers might gain the attention of legislators at some stage.
Hopefully, a lot of suitable alternatives will get identified.
