Camden News: Sting Operation | Selling | Weapons | Teenagers | Samurai Sword | Knives | Shopkeepers

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Camden News - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 21 August 2008

PC Jonathan Oram and Police Sergeant Neil Payn of Camden Town Tasking Unit, with a samurai sword sold to a 15-year-old for £49

LOOK WHAT A CHILD CAN BUY

Sting operation finds 10 stores selling weapons to minors

A 15-year-old girl was sold a three-foot samurai sword during a sting operation on Tuesday, according to officers who said it exposed a widespread “total disregard for the law”.
Despite the national and London-wide effort to tackle youth knife crime, the undercover operation found 10 shopkeepers in Camden Town and Kentish Town alone who sold weapons ranging from the sword and lock knives to Stanley knives and kitchen blades to teenage volunteers working for the police.
Every trader had already been warned earlier this month that selling any knife to under-18s, apart from small penknives, is a crime carrying a possible six-month prison sentence or £5,000 fine, according to Police Sergeant Neil Payn.
He said: “This operation visited 23 businesses in Camden Town and Kentish Town – 10 have sold knives in contravention of the legislation.
“It shows that offensive weapons are freely available in shops, and there are individuals who have a total disregard for the legislation.”
Teenage police cadets made the purchases under close monitoring by undercover officers.
Sgt Payn added: “This borough ?has seen youth violence involving both firearms and knives – we are going to keep going until there are no more knives on sale to teenagers.”
The 10 shopkeepers are now being quizzed by the Town Hall’s trading standards officers, who alerted police to the problem and have the power to bring prosecutions.
Christopher Jones, Camden’s chief trading standards officer, said: “It is very disappointing because all of these traders have been told the law repeatedly.
“The way I look at it is that that is 10 weapons on the street. Whatever people say, I think these businesses would find it hard to justify these sales to the parents of a young person who had been killed by a knife.”
The Town Hall will not name the businesses for legal reasons.

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If traders have been warned about the consequences and still ignored them in this way they should be named and shamed. It's disgraceful.
Georgina Parry