Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner is supporting the ban on Zombie knives that will come in to effect on Thursday, 18 August 2016.

Zombie knives can be up to two feet long and have a serrated edge. They are marked in a way that glamorises and emphasises the threat of violence. These knives are designed with blood-like paint on the handle and blade and have been inspired by horror films and advertised as collectors’ items.

The knives will now be added to the prohibited offensive weapons list under section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The importation, manufacture, and sale of Zombie knives will be a criminal offence when the legislation comes in to force. The ban specifies a zombie knife has a cutting edge, a serrated edge and “images or words that suggest it is to be used for the purpose of violence”.

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “In the hands of the wrong people these knives are lethal weapons. Some are quite horrific – with long blades and serrated edges.

“They have been too easy to obtain via the internet, sometimes for as little as £10. They glamorise violent behaviour and we need to protect people from them.

“Young people are being photographed for social media and the internet with these dangerous knives and I would urge anyone who knows of somebody who own such a weapon to speak with them and encourage them to dispose of the knife safely.”

From Thursday, the making or selling of so-called Zombie knives will become an offence with a prison sentence of up to four years.