Compensation offered if owners of zombie-style knives and machetes hand them in to Cambridge or Peterborough police

Owners of ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes are being offered compensation by the government if they hand over the weapons to police.

A month-long amnesty begins today (Monday, 26 August), enabling people who surrender weapons matching set criteria to claim the compensation.

They can be handed in at Parkside Police Station in Cambridge or Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough until 23 September during their usual opening hours.

Zombie knives are illegal to own, even if kept in private property, following changes to the Offensive Weapons Act.

A new law will ban similar “zombie-style” weapons.

Inspector Karl Secker said: “I’d urge people who own zombie-style knives or machetes to make use of this new government scheme.

“These weapons have no place in society and those who choose not to dispose of them run the risk of being prosecuted for owning illegal items.

“If you know someone who owns one of these weapons, please encourage them to surrender it. By doing so you will be helping to make the county safer and ensuring they won’t be prosecuted.”

If five or more items are to be surrendered at any one time, an appointment should be made by dialling 101 to arrange a visit.

Owners will need to fill in a form, which should be downloaded from the government website at https://shorturl.at/afzot and printed in advance. Copies may be available at the police station subject to availability.

Owners will then be contacted by a government department regarding compensation.

No payment will be issued at the police station.

Visit https://shorturl.at/XrMq4 for more details.