(2) how many prosecutions for the sale of knives to underage persons have been brought against commercial premises in (a) England and (b) Wales in the last 10 years;
(3) how many successful prosecutions have been brought against those arrested for the sale of knives to underage persons through internet sites and mail order companies in (a) England and (b) Wales in the last 10 years;
(4) how many prosecutions for the sale of knives to underage persons have been brought against internet sites and mail order companies in (a) England and (b) Wales in the last 10 years.
The available information on prosecutions and convictions for this offence is in the following table. Information does not distinguish individuals prosecuted or convicted. 2007 figures will be published in November 2008. On 1 October 2007 it became illegal to sell a knife to anyone under 18; previously the minimum age was 16.
England England: of which(i.e. these figures are included in the England figures) are Others (i.e. companies etc) Wales Wales: of which (i.e. these figures are included in the Wales figures) are Others(i.e. companies etc) Offence description Statute Year Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Any person who sells to a person under age of 16 years a knife; knife blade, razor blade, axe and any other article which has a blade, that is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person. Criminal Justice Act 1988, sec 141A as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996, sec 6(1) 1997 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1998 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1999 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2001 6 5 5 4 3 3 0 0 2002 11 10 7 7 0 0 0 0 2003 15 15 7 7 2 2 1 1 2004 9 7 5 4 2 2 0 0 2005 29 26 8 7 0 0 0 0 2006 62 50 20 16 1 1 0 0 1 Prosecution data for England and Wales relate to the number of defendants which includes male, female and others. The Others column shows the number of prosecutions for others (i.e. companies). This figure is already included in the respective areas' figures. 2 Conviction data for England and Wales relate to the number of defendants which includes male, female and others. The Others column shows the number of convictions for others (i.e. companies). This figure is already included in the respective areas' figures. 3 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit