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Knife crime: Some Cardiff shops sell blades to underage teens

BBC Person holding small knifeBBC
Ten of the 15 Cardiff shops visited sold knives illegally to underage teenagers

Some stores have broken the law by selling knives to under-18s, a BBC Wales investigation has found.

Two underage teenagers were illegally sold knives in two-thirds of the 15 stores visited in Cardiff, including a national chain outlet.

Undercover recording by the X-Ray programme showed the pair, aged 16 and 17, were not asked for ID in 10 shops.

An anti-knife crime charity described the footage as "deeply shocking".

It is illegal for any business to sell knives to anyone under the age of 18.

The only exceptions are folding pocket knives that have a cutting edge no longer than 3in (7.6cm), or are not lock-knives.

Knife crime figures in Wales have more than doubled over the past decade. There was a small decline in 2020/21 during the pandemic, but rates are on the rise once again.

Emily Powell, of the Wales Violence Prevention Unit, works with children under-18 found carrying knives, including one as young as eight.

She said young people carry knives for a number of reasons.

'It's normalised'

"They feel they have to carry weapons to be able to protect themselves," she said.

"If all your friends around you are carrying knives and weapons it's normalised, so it's OK for them."

That was echoed by someone who spent 10 years in prison for stabbing another person in a street fight.

The man from south Wales, who wished to remain anonymous, admitted he had carried a knife from the age of 14.

"It's just a fashion thing for kids now. Some people probably carry for fear, some just to look cool. And that's the scary thing, everyone's got them," he said.

"He's got one, so he's got to have one. If he's got one [then] he's got to have one. It has that chain effect."

Patrick Green speaking to Mo Jannah
Patrick Green of the Ben Kinsella Trust said he was saddened by the footage

The Ben Kinsella Trust, named after the 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in north London in 2008, said it was gravely concerned at shops appearing to break the law.

"This is shocking footage. Here we have retailers disregarding the law, handing knives over to young people," said chief executive Patrick Green.

"In one instance it's clear that the retailer understands the law, but still breaks it by passing that knife over to a young person," he said.

"I'm deeply saddened, deeply shocked by this footage."

Watch X-Ray on Monday 26 September at 20.00 BST on BBC One Wales, also on iPlayer.