Call to give up ninja swords before ban so ‘children can walk home without fear’

The mother of a teenager murdered with a ninja sword is calling for the weapons to be surrendered before a ban comes into force so that “children can walk home without fear”.

A surrender scheme is being launched for the blades in July, ahead of the ban from August 1.

It will then be illegal to possess, sell, make or import the ninja swords as part of anti-knife crime measures introduced under Ronan’s Law.

The law change is named after 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was yards away from his Wolverhampton home when he was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022, in a case of mistaken identity.

His family and mother Pooja Kanda have been campaigning for the ban since his death.

Ms Kanda said: “It has been three years since Ronan’s life was tragically taken as a result of the wounds inflicted by a ninja sword.

“Since then, we have relentlessly campaigned for ninja swords to be taken off the streets as they have no place in society.

“The Government has now introduced a much-needed ban on ninja swords, and we encourage those in possession to surrender them to make the community a safer place where children can walk home without fear.”

As part of the Government’s new knife surrender scheme, anti-knife crime campaigner Faron Paul, of FazAmnesty, will tour London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester in an “amnesty van” to help get rid of dangerous blades.

Mr Paul added: “By taking this service directly into communities, I hope we can reach more individuals, encourage positive decisions, and help reduce the number of harmful items on our streets.”

The Home Office is also funding 37 new surrender bins, made by charity Word 4 Weapons, across the same locations where 45% of knife crime in England and Wales takes place.

Anyone handing in a ninja sword can also claim compensation of £5 – the wholesale price of the weapon – if they return it to a designated police station.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “The launch of today’s scheme is a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our plan for change.

“This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime.

“We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime.”

Published: 01/07/2025 by Radio NewsHub