Reasons for carrying a knife (in the UK).......

[Martyn]

OK, I've been following this thread with great interest, and wondered if it may be worth being more pro-active about this thorny issue.

Could it be worth going along to your local Police Station to see if it's something you could discuss with a Police Officer, particularly in light of this current anti-knife climate?

Working WITH the Police, rather than being quiet about it, worrying about when/if you get your collar felt.

I think that is a very responsible idea.

It's worth noting that police opinion does impact on decisions made in parliament. If a chief constable can bring to mind local responsible citizens who have asked how they can work with the police and within the law to enjoy thier hobby, it will register and opinion will reflect that. It is without doubt the right way to go about things and usually is met with very, very positive responses.

 

[scanker]

This thread's getting a bit long for me to look up the reference, but I'm sure it was already stated earlier that it's all about circumstance.

@jon picket - providing you have a reasonable excuse for carrying your leatherman, it's not a problem. Without forgetting that ('cos that's the law), IMO it's all about the chances of you being stopped and searched. Providing you're not doing anything out of the ordinary the chances of you getting stopped are minimal. (Wayland might well disagree agree with this!) I don't carry my Leatherman every day, as I don't have a use for it every day. I suppose it comes down to asking yourself that quick question - what's it for? If you can't come up with an immediate answer, leave it behind.

I have friends in the Police and have worked with the Police in the past. I believe the official line is that officers shouldn't stereotype, but I know for a fact it's how they do their job. Certain demographics are more likely to get a tug than others. Just don't wear that Burberry.

 

[Lurch]

OK, so Britain is opressive and totalitarian. Fine. You've made your point. Up the revolution, Wolfie.

Do you have anything constructive to add to this thread? Any kind of solution?

Is there really any need to be so abrasive?

 

[Mantic]

Is there really any need to be so abrasive?

LOL! Lurch, did you read Neiltoo's earlier comments?

So Scanker, what work did you do with the Police (if you don't mind me asking)? Was it in Cardiff? In my experience, Cardiff was a hazardous place to wander on a Friday / Saturday night (more than Bristol for example). Did you have the same experience and if so, was it associated with any Police work?

Just wondering if you've had / know of any knife related encounters in that town.

 

[scanker]

Nothing quite so hands on! I work for a small IT firm and South Wales Police use some of our e-Learning packages.

I don't think Cardiff's any better or worse than any other small town, I've never had any bother. That said there was a shooting in a nightclub the other day. Having a young son, nights on the town are a distant memory!

 

[Mantic]

Nothing quite so hands on! I work for a small IT firm and South Wales Police use some of our e-Learning packages.

I don't think Cardiff's any better or worse than any other small town, I've never had any bother. That said there was a shooting in a nightclub the other day. Having a young son, nights on the town are a distant memory!

Aha. 2 kids of my own - nights out and sleep are a long and distant memory I've done some work with the Police as well (and the Fire Service) - the stories they tell!

I guess everyone has different experiences - mine has been poor in Cardiff but I must have been unlucky. I have a reason for carrying a knife at most times but of course I would never carry one into a club or pub. I used to a few years back - the landlord of a pub I frequented had a reasonable collection of knives and liked to see what people carried. Mind you, that was a small fishing / sailing village and the most exciting thing that ever happened there was having to slow down for cows crossing the road

 

[ArkAngel]

I live on a farm in North Yorkshire and regularly come accross Police officers on my walks in the country. The dog section have an agreement with the farmer and he allows them to exercise their dogs on his fields.

I have come accross them while i have been carrying knives,shotguns and high powered rifles. They have been nothing but polite friendly and approachable. This goes back to the earlier threads about context. I am in the countryside, none of my firearms are carried loaded etc. I am on land where i have permission to be and North Yorkshire Police have decided it is safe for me to shoot and have granted me a firearms license which is carried on me at all times along with contact details of the firearms officer who dealt with my application. The knives i carry are not excessive and when asked the officer concerned has been told they are used for gutting/skinning rabbits, no problem! In fact most are very keen to look at the WS woodlore i carry most being fans of Mr Mears themselves.

I would imagine for the most part if i were to wander off my designated land, start waving guns and knives about or shooting in a irresponsible or threatening manner then the situation would change and i would be looking at the business end of a police carbine, and rightly so!

These days i would find it very hard to justify carrying any sort of knife on a daily basis. I do own a small SAK that is within the remit of the law but have had no use for one in years.

That said, do the people on here not think that the media are making their usual meal of this amesty? On the TV yesterday i saw them scaning a table of 'weapons' (their description not mine) which consisted of a filleting knife, a couple of kitchen knives, bread knives and one "safety" glass breaker the type that you find in every coach in Britain. There were only a few cheap folding knives with the exception of the hideous looking knife with the attached knuckle duster which if i remember correctly was a collectable knife from the early 80's Stallone film "Cobra".

Education not confiscation i think should be the watchword here. People need to see these knives for the tools they are not the weapons they can be. However changing the mindset and attitudes of an entire nation overnight is a problem i unfortunately have no answers to.

 

[greg2935]

I was also stopped on a train last year, they found my Brusletto, which I packed into the very bottom of my ruck sack, very luckily for me, a desk sargent with a little common sense allowed me to go on my way AND I was on my way to a meet AND I could prove it via a ticket.

A friend was arrested in London 2 months ago, his pocket knife (a switz army knife) was taken, he was arrested and cautioned. He used the knife to clean his pipe, that apparently is not a good enough excuse. Some policemen are extremely anal when it comes to carrying a knife.

 

[ArkAngel]

I think it's the same in any job Greg. You get the really great employee's that are hard working responsible and have more than their fair share of common sense. To every Ying there must be a Yang and it sounds like your mate got himself a right Yang there! It's just a shame that in this case the Yang was in the Police force who have powers of arrest!

 

[risby]

A friend was arrested in London 2 months ago, his pocket knife (a switz army knife) was taken, he was arrested and cautioned. He used the knife to clean his pipe, that apparently is not a good enough excuse. Some policemen are extremely anal when it comes to carrying a knife.

I didn't think there were any illegal swiss army knives ... are you sure it wasn't what he was smoking in his pipe that got him arrested?

 

[scanker]

There are some locking blade models.

 

[Mantic]

LOL

There are some locking Swiss Army penknives but once again, even if it wasn't a locking jobby, it could be the situation that counts (a 'legal' penknife in a nightclub, for example, would still get a very very dim view from a PC).

Saying that, it sounds like the officer in question either doesn't know the law or is hoping that your mate doesn't.

I think that the Police just confiscate knives and sell them on ebay. JOKE!

 

[risby]

There are some locking blade models.

d4m, d4m, d4m and bl4st. Just googled "locking swiss army knives" and discovered a whole tranch of desirables I hadn't previously known about.

I fancy the Hunter in green or the blue Skipper.

 

[Naruska]

Go and check out the local bar in Nuorgam, Northern Finland on a weekend...the coat hanger by the door looks like a knife shop with dozens of blades hanging about while the natives get plastered... Disputes are settled in a civilized way in the outdoors

Marko

 

[Naruska]

On several occasions, I`ve walked into the local supermarket sporting an axe attached to my backpack and a couple of knives on my belt...people don`t seem very bothered (except if you want to stick a blade into them... )

Considering that Finland is one of the most violent countries in europe (according to statistics), the attitude toward carrying a weapon in public is quite relaxed here...

Marko

 

[Mantic]

On several occasions, I`ve walked into the local supermarket sporting an axe attached to my backpack and a couple of knives on my belt...people don`t seem very bothered (except if you want to stick a blade into them... )

Considering that Finland is one of the most violent countries in europe (according to statistics), the attitude toward carrying a weapon in public is quite relaxed here...

Marko

Now here is a fine example of 'rubbing it in'. Bah!

 

[Lurch]

Considering that Finland is one of the most violent countries in europe (according to statistics)

Yeah, but behind Scotland, England & Wales though eh?

 

[Neiltoo]

OK, so Britain is opressive and totalitarian. Fine. You've made your point. Up the revolution, Wolfie.

Do you have anything constructive to add to this thread? Any kind of solution?

Well, You've made it quite clear that you dont like me or my opinions, fair enough each to their own.
As a moderator perhaps you could explain to me what Ive posted that was 'wrong'. Was I rude or nasty to someone?
Was it just my lack of 'any kind of solution' ? I think that many of the posts in this thread are lacking in that regard.

Up the revolution, Wolfie

Thats really not very nice, especially coming from someone in the position of a moderator

 

[Martyn]

It's a shame.

Thread closed.

 

[Martyn]

Well, You've made it quite clear that you dont like me or my opinions, fair enough each to their own.
As a moderator perhaps you could explain to me what Ive posted that was 'wrong'. Was I rude or nasty to someone?
Was it just my lack of 'any kind of solution' ? I think that many of the posts in this thread are lacking in that regard.



Thats really not very nice, especially coming from someone in the position of a moderator

I've rethought closing this thread nieltoo. I've decided that it's too valuable to allow one person determined to ignore a moderators plea's to not be political and be bent on trashing it, to succeed. So I've re-opened it.

neiltoo, you are banned from BcUK for 1 day. If the content and tone of your posts in this thread doesnt improve on your return, I'll ban you for a month. If that doesnt work, I'll ban you for life.

It's your choice, but this site has rules of conduct and it's my job to enforce them. I doesnt matter whether you agree with me or not, but when I ask for calm, it needs to be observed. It's your choice.

Regards Martyn.