Voluntarily handing in a large blade to the UK police

[spokenword]

I'll carefully rehearse my verbal reply. Wonder if they'll be as smug when handing it back. I will of course return all the meaningless printouts they pushed across/under the counter, from behind bulletproof glass. Then tell them why they're wrong, I'm right, and that I shouldn't be the one schooling the police on how the law works.

In the play A Man for all Seasons, there are some wonderful words I'd love to quote on the day. Might be taking it a bit too far though

Of course, it might have already been destroyed! Stay tuned...

 

[Paul_B]

One point. Make sure you keep a copy of all paperwork and contact made over this matter. You never know when or if that might be needed by you.

Do I sound paranoid? I might be but I might also be right to be!

 

[Chris]

Kept on emailing the Home Office for more than a week. My last (yesterday) was to ask if the complaints URL for the HO was correct. Today I received this short reply:

"We have contacted Croydon Police, and they will be contacting you to return your item."

Will post here when/if I have it in my hands.

Can you video it and include the indignant look on the receptionist’s face, please?

 

[spokenword]

One point. Make sure you keep a copy of all paperwork and contact made over this matter. You never know when or if that might be needed by you.

Do I sound paranoid? I might be but I might also be right to be!

You are right there. Will keep it all.

 

[DB-71]

Kept on emailing the Home Office for more than a week. My last (yesterday) was to ask if the complaints URL for the HO was correct. Today I received this short reply:

"We have contacted Croydon Police, and they will be contacting you to return your item."

Will post here when/if I have it in my hands.

Well done mate

 

[hughtrimble]

Kept on emailing the Home Office for more than a week. My last (yesterday) was to ask if the complaints URL for the HO was correct. Today I received this short reply:

"We have contacted Croydon Police, and they will be contacting you to return your item."

Will post here when/if I have it in my hands.

I am astonished. Here's hoping that all falls into place.

Or...

P: You are accused of being in possession of a fixed blade knife in a public place. What justification did you have for this?

A: To surrender it as it's a zombie knife.

P: We have received official confirmation from the Home Office that it is not a zombie knife, therefore you did not have good reason for having it in your possession in a public place, so we are seizing it. Goodbye.

 

[spokenword]

I am astonished. Here's hoping that all falls into place.

Or...

Had to laugh at that. Yes, I thought about them letting me walk out the door, then stopping me further down the road for possession in a public place. Hence the stick on beard and wide fedora hat.

Still no word from the police.

 

[Pattree]

Take a lockable box.

Some belief systems involve blades. A friend waited several months to get her atheme back and was careful to lock it in a cash box before taking it out of the police station.

I have no idea whether Crown versus Pendragon still applies or has been superseded. It certainly doesn’t apply to the type of blade described in the most recent legislation!

 

[slowworm]

Kept on emailing the Home Office for more than a week. My last (yesterday) was to ask if the complaints URL for the HO was correct. Today I received this short reply:

"We have contacted Croydon Police, and they will be contacting you to return your item."

Will post here when/if I have it in my hands.

Well done on your perseverance. It's a shame you've not got an explanation so far as to why the 'mistake' was made.

Does make one slightly worried about carrying something legal if the police don't understand the law.

 

[Herman30]

Does make one slightly worried about carrying something legal if the police don't understand the law.

I´m surprised that you are surprised (worried) about the fact that police make their own interpretations about laws. Police are often not your friendly constable but instead have their own agenda.

 

[matarius777]

I´m surprised that you are surprised (worried) about the fact that police make their own interpretations about laws. Police are often not your friendly constable but instead have their own agenda.

Amen to that! Occasionally I watch some of the “auditing” videos, mainly Auditing Britain, whilst a greta many of these people seem to be antagonistic idiots who have had previous legal issues involving the police, some, like AB, do do it to improve the way the police respond to photography in public and their interactions with the public. Anyway, what many of these videos expose is just how many police will use and abuse laws to enable their egos, the way some of these police behave is quite an eye opener and shocking, to say the least. There have been many law suits against them that have won, another thing is the way their complaints process works to protect the police when they have done wrong, look at the case of, I think, PC Mark Knight and Crime Bodges private prosecution against him, all because after the PC head butted a disabled driver in the face, either the IOPC or other similar body deliberately delayed proceedings until it was too late for the PC to be taken to court. A common ploy is for the police person to go sick due to “anxiety and depression” so they can’t be taken to tribunal meanwhile sitting pretty on full pay, this can and does go on for years. Look at the TV programme, Police Behaving Badly

 

[Stew]

Amen to that! Occasionally I watch some of the “auditing” videos, mainly Auditing Britain, whilst a greta many of these people seem to be antagonistic idiots who have had previous legal issues involving the police, some, like AB, do do it to improve the way the police respond to photography in public and their interactions with the public. Anyway, what many of these videos expose is just how many police will use and abuse laws to enable their egos, the way some of these police behave is quite an eye opener and shocking, to say the least. There have been many law suits against them that have won, another thing is the way their complaints process works to protect the police when they have done wrong, look at the case of, I think, PC Mark Knight and Crime Bodges private prosecution against him, all because after the PC head butted a disabled driver in the face, either the IOPC or other similar body deliberately delayed proceedings until it was too late for the PC to be taken to court. A common ploy is for the police person to go sick due to “anxiety and depression” so they can’t be taken to tribunal meanwhile sitting pretty on full pay, this can and does go on for years. Look at the TV programme, Police Behaving Badly

Naah, the auditors do it for the conflict to get views to get money.

 

[Paul_B]

Had to laugh at that. Yes, I thought about them letting me walk out the door, then stopping me further down the road for possession in a public place. Hence the stick on beard and wide fedora hat.

Still no word from the police.

Carry a bag containing copies of some related paperwork including the invite to collect the knife. Then stuff the knife into the deepest part of the bag, preferably a rucksack as then it is on your back fully strapped up and might not be so accessible which is another point.

I did say I might be paranoid but I still hold that I might still be right too.

I will withhold my congratulations until you are home, safe an well with your knife put away.

 

[matarius777]

Naah, the auditors do it for the conflict to get views to get money.

If you actually read my post, I said pretty much that: “whilst a great many of these people seem to be antagonistic idiots who have had previous legal issues involving the police”.

 

[Chris]

It’s easy to find bad eggs in all sorts of profession.

Conversely, I have only ever had pleasant interactions with police all over the country. Most police aren’t there to take away legal items. In this instance it is likely a big disconnect between the legislature and the police, who have not been provided the training they need when the laws changed.

 

[Broch]

As above ^^^^^

Any interaction I have ever had with the police, including as a lightly wayward teenager, have been calm, helpful, and civil.

 

[Pattree]

Totally agree ^^^^^^^

Edited to add:
I did get a clip round the ear from PC Evans, the village beat bobby for Heald Green. I kept riding on the pavement after being warned.

 

[Stew]

If you actually read my post, I said pretty much that: “whilst a great many of these people seem to be antagonistic idiots who have had previous legal issues involving the police”.

I read your post.

 

[Falstaff]

Kept on emailing the Home Office for more than a week. My last (yesterday) was to ask if the complaints URL for the HO was correct. Today I received this short reply:

"We have contacted Croydon Police, and they will be contacting you to return your item."

Will post here when/if I have it in my hands.

Great result if they do, well done for your persistence.

 

[spokenword]

A week since my last post.

Never got a reply from Croydon Police as promised by the Home Office. Emailed HO very early this morning to let them know.

Do the Home Office have control over the police? Do the police have to obey their requests? I've no idea.

Will update here when/if anything moves on this.