The Government has agreed to close the loophole on machetes following its consultation. On 18 April 2023, Rt Hon. Chris Philp MP, the Minster for Crime and Policing, announced that the Government was bringing forward legislation which banned the sale of machetes online following its consultation.
Cllr Andrew Dinsmore was mugged with a machete on the May Bank holiday last year in Chelsea. He was walking with his Wife in bright daylight when attacked by two thugs on a moped who brandished a machete in his face and demanded his watch. He was very lucky not to be physically injured, unlike many of the unfortunate victims he has met over the last year whilst campaigning on this issue.
Cllr Dinsmore launched a petition to ban machete sales online which has reached nearly 140,000 signatures. Following the attack, Cllr Dinsmore searched for the weapons online. He was shocked to see that one could buy an 18” matt-black ‘dragonslayer’ from popular online retailers to be delivered to one’s door the next day, complete with a balaclava. He stated “there is clearly no legitimate use for such violent weapons, and certainly not in central London”.
Rt Hon Greg Hands MP has been a huge supporter of the campaign. Rt Hon Greg Hands MP takes violent crime in his constituency very seriously and immediately contacted Cllr Dinsmore after the attack. They have since been working together on this campaign for almost a year and met with the Minister for Crime and Policing to see what could be done to get these weapons off our streets. The result was that machetes were included in the Government’s consultation on offensive weapons and their online sale will now be banned.
Rt Hon Greg Hands MP and Cllr Dinsmore regularly hold crime summits with residents and the Police to help protect their safety. Greg has always sought to ensure the highest level of safety for constituents and Cllr Dinsmore sits on the Social Inclusion and Safety in the Community Policy and Accountability Committee. Together they have pooled their experience and liaised with both the Police and residents to ensure everything is being done to keep residents safe. Please keep an eye out for their next summit.
Rt Hon Greg Hands MP and Cllr Dinsmore would like to thank residents for all of their support. The public have been absolutely brilliant in their support to tackle crime.
Cllr Dinsmore stated that “The support for my petition has been overwhelming. I am really grateful to everyone that signed it and to the Government for taking action to get these horrific weapons off our streets.”
Greg Hands MP said: “There have been high profile machete attacks in Chelsea & Fulham in recent years. Cllr Dinsmore and I met with Policing Minister Chris Philp earlier this year to discuss this issue and I am glad to see that the Government is taking action in banning online sales of machetes.”
