criminal-law england-and-wales weapons
Carrying a knife in public in the UK
<p>Is carrying a certain knife in the UK, more specifically England, allowed? And what type of knives do these have to be? e.g. blade length.</p>
<p>Would carrying such knife be allowed if you do not have a valid reason to carry it such as needing it for work?</p>

<p><strong>Short answer:</strong></p>
<p>It depends. It is lawful if one has a lawful reason, such as it's needed for work, or it's a folding pocketknife (e.g. a Swiss Army Knife) with a blade less than 3 inches.</p>
<p><strong>Long answer:</strong></p>
<p>The primary legislation is <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/section/139?timeline=false" rel="noreferrer">s.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988</a> which makes it unlawful to have in a public place:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(2) ... any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except a folding pocketknife.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>(3) .... [this includes] a folding pocketknife if the cutting edge of its blade exceeds 3 inches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Subsection (4) gives the &quot;<em>good reason or lawful authority</em>&quot; general defence for possessing such an article which is complemented and supplemented by:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(5) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) above, it shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had the article with him—</p>
<ul>
<li><p>(a)for use at work;</p>
</li>
<li><p>(b)for religious reasons; or</p>
</li>
<li><p>(c)as part of any national costume.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives" rel="noreferrer">This site</a> gives some more information and identifies certain knives that are banned, and <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offensive-weapons-knife-crime-practical-guidance" rel="noreferrer">this site</a>, under &quot;legislation&quot;, lists semi-related offences.</p>
<p>.</p>
