Hi all,
Just a quick introduction to say hello to you all and to introduce myself. I have been interested in outdoors for some years now, infact ever since I had little grey shorts and a green top and neckerchief... Yes you guessed it .. Cubs.. And then followed on through to scouts and into the big wide world.
I have always had a fascination for tools and for all things that are handmade and this has been a long love of mine. My interest in tools and making things has emulated into a lovely workshop that I've managed to build up over the years and have had many happy hours sipping a cup af coffee ..... Err I mean working hard :aargh4:
Just to keep it fairly brief, my life circumstances have changed dramatically over the past year or so due to loosing my wife at age 40. This was over in oz during a family holiday to visit my wife's sister. As you can imagine this has totally changed my life and I've had to make some major decisions. I don't want to dwell on it nor is this a plea for pity but it's all relevant in the grand scheme of things.
Over the past 6 months I have partnered up with someone whom shares my same interests etc..and this has been a good departure from how I had been feeling.
Over the past three months ive been looking deeply into the laws and expectations of the law and what it means to me as a person who has been carrying around in my day bag different tools for bushcraft activities that I've just started getting into as an addition to just setting up a riverside fire to cook on and enjoy good times.
This is an ongoing process that I am trying to push as far as I can, and has given me cause for concern...
My intentions are positive and this is only my experience but non the less I'd like to share and also hear from others that may want to give me their thoughts.
I am fully conversant with the law, and have spent much time over the past few months speaking with people and gaining knowledge to assure myself that I can keep within the law.. The main one which affects most people being the criminal justice act 1988 s139.
I initially have spoken to my local police force for greater clarification of the 'act' and then have spoken to the national police chiefs council, (NPCC) in London primarily because Alf Hitchcock ... No pun intended.. Is the author of a document that has been produced for 'all' police forces to use as a general guideline for the way in which knife carrying and use etc along with knife crime should be used. I've spoken with the NPCC over the past month to express comments pertaining to the comments that I'd recieved from not only my local police force but from others that I had called also.
Initially what I was asking of the police was to check that what I had been carrying and for what purpose "does this give reasonable cause" and satisfy what the law requires to be 'legal'. What I have discovered is so many variants and perceptions of how they perceive the law that it's left me compleatly bewildered.
I have also studied what is required by the (CPS) crown prosecution service whom is the prosecution body to which the police confer with during the initial stages of evaluating weather or not you are charged for the offence of (possession ) that's right , just having a blade that falls into or rather out of the 'acts' exemption which is a folding pocketknife with a sharpened edge of no more that 3". Can land you in trouble and seemingly does with the wrong copper. Now that last thing that I want to do is start scare mongering people and as I say this is my own in depth findings. Just in my pursuit to satisfy the laws requirements.
I'm also aware that the cps requires two stages to be fulfilled to qualify for charges to stick ... Or so I thought... I've read a few cases and have also spoken to a solicitor who has assured me that he's dealt with many cases where people with legitimate reasons have fallen foul of the law due to over zelous police and late night (CPS) guidance that it's all gone to court, and being on bail for 6months can't be an easy task I'm sure.
I've also read of people whom ain't aware of the law and just accepting a caution from the police along with their rather expensive leatherman taking a trip to the scrap heap ...
Now I'm far from sto
Just a quick introduction to say hello to you all and to introduce myself. I have been interested in outdoors for some years now, infact ever since I had little grey shorts and a green top and neckerchief... Yes you guessed it .. Cubs.. And then followed on through to scouts and into the big wide world.
I have always had a fascination for tools and for all things that are handmade and this has been a long love of mine. My interest in tools and making things has emulated into a lovely workshop that I've managed to build up over the years and have had many happy hours sipping a cup af coffee ..... Err I mean working hard :aargh4:
Just to keep it fairly brief, my life circumstances have changed dramatically over the past year or so due to loosing my wife at age 40. This was over in oz during a family holiday to visit my wife's sister. As you can imagine this has totally changed my life and I've had to make some major decisions. I don't want to dwell on it nor is this a plea for pity but it's all relevant in the grand scheme of things.
Over the past 6 months I have partnered up with someone whom shares my same interests etc..and this has been a good departure from how I had been feeling.
Over the past three months ive been looking deeply into the laws and expectations of the law and what it means to me as a person who has been carrying around in my day bag different tools for bushcraft activities that I've just started getting into as an addition to just setting up a riverside fire to cook on and enjoy good times.
This is an ongoing process that I am trying to push as far as I can, and has given me cause for concern...
My intentions are positive and this is only my experience but non the less I'd like to share and also hear from others that may want to give me their thoughts.
I am fully conversant with the law, and have spent much time over the past few months speaking with people and gaining knowledge to assure myself that I can keep within the law.. The main one which affects most people being the criminal justice act 1988 s139.
I initially have spoken to my local police force for greater clarification of the 'act' and then have spoken to the national police chiefs council, (NPCC) in London primarily because Alf Hitchcock ... No pun intended.. Is the author of a document that has been produced for 'all' police forces to use as a general guideline for the way in which knife carrying and use etc along with knife crime should be used. I've spoken with the NPCC over the past month to express comments pertaining to the comments that I'd recieved from not only my local police force but from others that I had called also.
Initially what I was asking of the police was to check that what I had been carrying and for what purpose "does this give reasonable cause" and satisfy what the law requires to be 'legal'. What I have discovered is so many variants and perceptions of how they perceive the law that it's left me compleatly bewildered.
I have also studied what is required by the (CPS) crown prosecution service whom is the prosecution body to which the police confer with during the initial stages of evaluating weather or not you are charged for the offence of (possession ) that's right , just having a blade that falls into or rather out of the 'acts' exemption which is a folding pocketknife with a sharpened edge of no more that 3". Can land you in trouble and seemingly does with the wrong copper. Now that last thing that I want to do is start scare mongering people and as I say this is my own in depth findings. Just in my pursuit to satisfy the laws requirements.
I'm also aware that the cps requires two stages to be fulfilled to qualify for charges to stick ... Or so I thought... I've read a few cases and have also spoken to a solicitor who has assured me that he's dealt with many cases where people with legitimate reasons have fallen foul of the law due to over zelous police and late night (CPS) guidance that it's all gone to court, and being on bail for 6months can't be an easy task I'm sure.
I've also read of people whom ain't aware of the law and just accepting a caution from the police along with their rather expensive leatherman taking a trip to the scrap heap ...
Now I'm far from sto
