A BAN on zombie knives comes into force today in a bid to crackdown on knife crime.

It comes after recent police data obtained by the BBC showed that the number of crimes  involving machetes, swords or zombie knives has nearly doubled in five years. 

Data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act showed that in 2023 the three types of weapons were mentioned in more than 14,000 crimes recorded by 32 police forces in England and Wales.

In 2019, there were 7,159 offences recorded as involving the large blades, which rose to 14,195 in 2023.

Nearly 10,000 of the offences recorded in 2023 involved machetes, double the number from five years before, the broadcaster reported.

The ban is part of efforts to reduce knife crime, with campaigners including actor Idris Elba pushing for the large blades to be outlawed.

Newport and its surrounding areas have seen a number of senseless crimes committed using these types of knives in recent years, including the horrific murder of 26-year-old Ryan 'Apple' O'Connor in June 2021, which left the whole city shocked. 

Mr O'Connor had been walking home from enjoying a meal with his brother in Alway, Newport on Thursday, June 10 2021 when he was stabbed to death with a machete by two killers for his designer Gucci bag. 

Joseph Jeremy and Lewis Aquilina, of Cardiff, were both convicted of the murder in December 2022, and jailed for life. 

They will have to serve a minimum of 24 and 22 years in prison respectively before they can be considered for parole. 

The Government plans to also ban ninja swords in the future.

Official figures show that knife crime rose by 7 per cent in England and Wales in the year to December 2023, compared with the previous 12 months, but the total 49,489 offences recorded remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Part of the increase was driven by a rise in knifepoint robberies, which went up by a fifth year on year.

Knife-enabled homicides stood at 239 last year, broadly unchanged on the 235 recorded in 2022 and also lower than pre-pandemic figures.

However, in the year to March 2023, 82 per cent of teenage homicide victims were killed with a knife, compared with 73 per cent in the previous year.

Concern remains among law enforcement about how easy it is to buy knives online, with illegal dealers selling blades via social media, including to under-18s.

Patrick Green from the Ben Kinsella Trust said in June that online marketplaces have little or no age verification, are selling the weapons at reasonably cheap prices – with machetes and zombie knives sometimes selling for around £20 – and can deliver purchases to someone’s door the next day.

A Knife Angel statue was unveiled in Newport in November 2022, to act as a constant reminder of the devastating effects of violence and aggression.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jane Mudd, has welcomed the ban and has underlined her commitment to tackling knife crime in the area.  

She said: "In my former role as council leader, I was proud to work with Gwent Police to bring the Knife Angel to our communities, driving home its powerful anti-violence message.

"Now, as Police and Crime Commissioner, I fund the charity Fearless, which visits schools across the region, speaking to children and young people about these issues and educating them about the dangers of carrying knives and what this could mean for themselves, their friends and their families.

“We must do all we can to discourage children and young people from carrying knives of any kind and this ban is another step in the right direction.”