London (Parliament Politics Magazine)- The UK government is considering imposing fines of £10,000 on social media executives who fail to act against illegal knife advertisements.
Labour has planned this strategy to meet its commitment to halving knife crime over the next ten years and they proposed the idea of implementing heavy fines from police under the government plan. This plan is part of a broader initiative to tackle the spread of harmful content on digital platforms.
The Home Office is seeking to introduce these measures to prevent “unacceptable use of social media and online marketplaces to market illegal weapons and glorify violence” and to make sure illegal content is instantly removed.
As part of their plans, power will be given to police to issue notices to senior officials on online platforms to remove targeted advertisements and content within just two days.
A second notice would be issued if no action is taken following the first notice, with senior executives “personally liable” for a “significant fine” if the content is not removed.
According to the PA news agency, the exact scale of the financial penalty has not yet been confirmed, however, consultation indicates that the most serious offenders could face fines of £10,000.
The plan is to ban ninja-style swords, driven by the campaigning of Pooja Kanda, mother of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda. Ronan was killed tragically in Wolverhampton in 2022 by two 17-year-olds who used the weapon purchased online under a fake name and picked from the post office.
Sir Keir Starmer has previously stated his intention to make online purchasing of knives more difficult.
He hosted a meeting in September for a new anti-knife crime coalition which brought together actor Idris Elba, families who have been affected by knife violence and some other key figures.
“Talk is good, but action is important”, Elba said during the meeting.
The work is also under progress to decide the definition of weapons.
Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary told culprits, “must face the full force of the law” as she announced the “ough new sanctions”, adding: “The epidemic of knife crime that has grown over the last decade is devastating families and communities right across the country”.
She added, “That’s why this Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve knife crime over the next decade and today we’re taking determined action to get lethal blades off Britain’s streets”.
Mrs Kanda insisted, “I am very relieved that today the Government have kept their promise to proactively ban the ninja sword that killed my son and protect others from having the same fate”.
Commander Stephen Clayman, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s efforts on knife crime, is overseeing a review into the online sale of weapons on behalf of the Home Office said, “For far too long, deadly weapons have been far too easily accessible online, with content promoting their use for protection and combat rife on many platforms and seemingly little being done to remove it”.
He added, “We welcome the chance to take part in the consultation and explore the most effective means of achieving this, including using the findings of the ongoing online sales review”.