People trying to buy knives online will face tougher measures to prove their age (Image: SWNS)
Anyone trying to buy a knife online will have to submit ID and a video recording of themselves under new plans to prevent murder weapons being “bought with two clicks”.
Sir promised urgent action to prevent under-18s buying knives online, saying it was “shockingly easy” for killers such as Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana to get their hands on weapons.
Online marketplaces will be ordered to have two-stage verification processes as part of stricter checks for customers purchasing knives.
This will force buyers to submit identity documents and a video to prove they are 18, under proposals drawn up by a police chief.
Yvette Cooper has slammed how easy it is to buy knives online (Image: Getty)
Commander Stephen Clayman, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, is leading a review of online knife sales and had been due to report at the end of this month, but the plans are now being brought forward.
Rudakubana admitted carrying a knife more than ten times before he bought a kitchen knife on Amazon to carry out his deadly attack in Southport in July last year.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “It is unacceptable that these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it, and we’re going to take action.”
He told MPs: “The senseless, barbaric murder of three young girls in Southport was devastating.
“A measure of justice has been done, but for the victims, the injured and the affected, we must see a fundamental change in how Britain protects its citizens and its children.”
He promised that the public inquiry announced by the Government “will not let any institution deflect from their failings” in the case.
Patrick Green, chief executive of knife crime charity, the Ben Kinsella Trust, said the tragedy in Southport shows “how careless the online marketplaces are”.
The charity was founded by former actress Brooke Kinsella, after her 16-year-old brother Ben was stabbed to death in Islington in 2008.
Mr Green added that the ease of online sales is “a damning indictment”, saying: “Retailers are just completely focused on making money and not protecting the public.
“The law has proved inadequate.
“We need to close the loophole that exists around online marketplaces.
“This isn’t an isolated incident. There have been a number of incidents like this.”
The need for action on knife crime was further illustrated when a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Bruce Houlder, founder of Fighting Knife Crime London, told the PA News Agency that knife crime is “more worrying than ever”.
After working as a criminal lawyer for 52 years, Mr Houlder founded the anti-knife organisation to try “find solutions to knife crime”, providing young people with what he calls a “one stop shop of information” on the topic.
He said: “I think there should be much tougher legislation.
“It’s foreseeable that these knives are going to be used to cause injury.”
Mr Houlder added there is “insufficient being done” to stop online retailers selling knives, calling them “complicit in the crimes that eventually get committed”.
He also pointed out that retailers should be aware of the items they are selling and how they might be used.
“What excuse can some young people use to buy many of the knives on sale at the moment?
“The only purpose is to sell it (to) someone who doesn’t have good motives.”
It is illegal to sell knives to under-18s. At present, customers ordering knives online must submit their date of birth and are told to expect to have their ID checked on delivery as well as providing a signature.
An Amazon spokesman said: “We take our responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products – extremely seriously and have launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case.
“We use trusted ID verification services to check name, date of birth and address details whenever an order is placed for these bladed items.
“We have an age verification on delivery process that requires drivers to verify the recipient’s age through an app on their devices before handing over a parcel containing an age-restricted item.”