Grieving family of murdered Wolverhampton schoolboy in shock over payments to weapon suppliers

The Government is holding an amnesty for those in possession of so-called ‘zombie knives’ and machetes to hand them in at police stations without repercussions ahead of a ban which is due to come into force on September 24.

Pooja Kanda, who took part in a Downing Street summit on Monday, told the Express & Star she was in shock that the sellers responsible for supplying blades to her son's killer, was due a £350,000 compensation payment in exchange for handing in stock.

Mrs Kanda said: "I understand that people are in business to make money, but in this instance they should do the decent thing and not take advantage of taxpayers in this way.

"To me they are exploiting the amnesty scheme and profiteering. The whole system set up to take dangerous weapons off the streets is being undermined. There should be a rule to force businesses to just simply hand them in.

"I understand that we can't have rules for every scenario, but if someone hands in 350 knives they've made £3,500 and if the goods value more than that they'll be making even more money."

"I'm in shock that this guy was being given compensation," she added.

Mrs Kanda's son 16-year-old son Ronan died in Mount Road in Lanesfield, Wolverhampton, on June 29, 2022 after being fatally stabbed in the heart by a teenager in a case of mistaken identity.

On Monday she sat round the cabinet table at Number 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, other parents of murdered children and actor Idris Elba to discuss knife crime issues.

Sir Keir has pledged to tackle knife crime a priority for the Labour Government.

West Midlands Police has been working with town halls and community groups to urge residents to drop blades in special bins in a bid to prevent and reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries being recorded in the region.

But forensic psychologist Natasha Pope, who has worked with the force on anti-knife crime initiatives said insufficient thought had been put into the ban.

“There should be more focus placed on preventative strategies and early interventions to fully and more effectively address this issue like deterrence measures, mentoring opportunities and school-based interventions.”

“New laws around knife-related offending are always welcome, however, it is questionable as to what point the focus on specific knife types is helpful.

“There is a risk that by concentrating on specific knives, like machetes and zombie knives, we are further glamourising them and making them more appealing and attractive to young people.

“This is even more concerning given the financial incentives being advertised in response to their surrender.”

The deadline to surrender machetes and so-called 'zombie knives' to police stations and claim compensation is September 23.

Under the compensation scheme applicants can claim for blades worth between £10 and £30 if they can produce a purchase receipt at the point of surrender.

Brierley Hill gun shop DAI Leisure agreed to surrender 108 knives after officers visited the premises on Tuesday.