Your point about the institute being seperate from trading standards itself is taken on board, however, the website I quoted from was a dot gov dot uk site so a government owned and operated site.

I suspect most people would agree that some action is needed to reduce the ready availability of knives to young people.

No, I disagree. Knives are readily available in every home in the country. Online selling makes availability “Time restricted” because the order needs to be processed and despatched, and so is probably a safer way to market than selling them in the kitchen section of John Lewis where they could in theory be brought (or stolen) and used in seconds

I do understand and have some sympathy with your point about the restriction of choice but there is a balance to be found here.

No there isn’t a balance to be struck. Freedom is absolute. The Trading Standards proposed ban removes my freedom.

Trading Standards and other local authority Regulatory Services play a key role in public protection – a role that extends way beyond basic consumer protection.

Really. Say’s who? When did the remit change from consumer protection to nannying?

We are also active in lobbying for new powers and controls, where we belive they are required.

Government already has too many powers and controls. I am actively lobbying for you to have less. The nannying of people who you are paid to serve not nanny is now overbearing and we’re tired of it. My son goes to a school where children are searched for knives on the way in because the authorities view is that all knives are evil and kill, and then as he goes into his home education class is given a knife to prepare food with!

Knives are not dangerous, people are. I for instance carry a knife when I sail. Not because I want to cut the liver out of anyone who looks at me in the wrong way, but because with ropes all around the boat, some under tension, I may need to cut a line in a hurry. In order to do this I have to carry the knife from home, to my car to the boat. I also keep the knife in my pocket when I berth at an away marina and step ashore to visit the local bars and restaurants. I’m almost certainly braking the law, but if I am then the law is an ass. I also carry a swiss army knife in my laptop bag, which I use as a knife, screwdriver and pair of scissors. Again, I’m probably breaking the law, and again I argue that if I am then the law is an ass.

My Grandfather died three years ago in his nineties. He used to buy me pocket knives as a child and had a motto:

Never leave the house without a knife a bit of string and a sixpence so you can cut, tie and buy

He used to go on to say, “because you never know when you may fall down a hole”

So, next time you lobby for controls and restrictions please give some thought to the freedoms you are lobbying to destroy, and please don’t paint knives as evil because they are not, and don’t lump all knive carriers as evil people intent on anarchy because we’re not, we’re chefs, sailors, gardeners and more.

The Trading Standards Institute is actually a professional organisation promoting the interests of its members (Trading Standards Officers and equivalent – predominantly employed in local government) and not a government body.

That aside, this is developing into a serious national issue of concern.

I’ve seen several horrendous stories recently, including the online sale of a machette to a 15 year old for £1:50 (see http://digg.com/u177HF ).

If you’ve listened to the stories told by the parents who have lost children to knife crime you’d be moved I’m sure. I suspect most people would agree that some action is needed to reduce the ready availability of knives to young people.

I do understand and have some sympathy with your point about the restriction of choice but there is a balance to be found here.

Trading Standards and other local authority Regulatory Services play a key role in public protection – a role that extends way beyond basic consumer protection.

We have a number of approaches to providing these services, which include giving advice, guidance and education as well as carrying out enforcement, to ensure public safety and well-being.

We are also active in lobbying for new powers and controls, where we belive they are required. Your post follows just one such activity aimed firmly at persuading government to put commonsense measures in place to enable local authoritiues to respond appropriately to this isue of concern in many of our communities and neighbourhoods.

Ken Eastwood, Assistant Director (Regulatory Services), Barnsley MBC, South Yorkshire.