UK Law: Is It Legal to Carry My Knives?
It’s a vital part of any chef’s toolkit and probably the first investment in your future career, so it’s important to respect your chef knife, protect the blade from dulling and keep it secure.
However, if you’re a butcher, work in a professional kitchen or are just an enthusiastic home cook, sooner or later you’ll need to carry your knives with you, whether you’re taking them to be sharpened, working away or cooking for friends.
So what is the safest way to store chef knives during transport and how can you make sure you stay within the law?
Read on to find out more.
When Is It Legal to Carry Knives In The UK?
With incidents of knife crime soaring by 80% between 2014 and 2019, it’s vital that those working in the food industry stay within the law. But if you’re a butcher or chef it’s almost certain you’ll need to carry the tools of your trade with you at some point. But what knives are legal to carry in the UK?
Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 prohibits carrying an article with blade or point, in a public place, including a folding pocket knife if the cutting edge of its blade exceeds 3 inches. All of which seems pretty clear cut.
However there are circumstances when it’s possible to carry a knife and stay within the law. For example members of the Sikh community are allowed to carry a kirpan (a small dagger) for religious reasons. The sgian dubh (a single-edged knife) is also permitted to be carried by those wearing traditional Scottish Highland dress.
But for those who use knives as part of their working lives, there is the defence of ‘good reason or lawful authority’.
Jacob Greys, communications specialist with Gwent Police, told us: “Ultimately it is about the context. If a chef is on their way to work and can prove that their occupation is a chef, then they are less likely to have a problem.
“Officers would have to be satisfied that the individual carrying the article has good reason or lawful authority for having the article in a public space. The person would need to prove that they had the article on them for the use of work.”
For instance, if the individual were to enter a crowded place such as a club while carrying a chef’s knife, Mr Greys told us, “officers would need to look into the reason an individual was in a nightclub with knives.”
TIP: Read our guide to discover how to dispose of knives safely
Transport Your Knives Safely
If you’re transporting knives you need to make sure that you minimise the risks of both dulling the blade and injuring yourself. There are a huge range of products available to store chef knives safely and ensure an incident free trip. They generally fall into three groups.
Knife Guards
One of the cheapest methods for protecting your knives, knife guards come in a variety of sizes that fit snugly along the length of the blade and help preserve them from knocks in your kitchen or during travel. They can also prevent finger cuts if you store your knives in drawers.
Knife wallets and roll bags
The most common methods of storage for transporting chef knives, knife wallets and roll bags have a number of compartments capable of holding different sized and shaped knives, and roll or fold up to make them easier to carry. From affordable nylon and canvas wallets secured with ties or Velcro straps to the seriously sophisticated leather roll bags secured with brass buckles for added piece of mind, there’s an option to suit every pocket.
Knife cases and boxes
If you’re regularly working away from your own kitchen you may want to consider investing in a carrying case or knife box. These range from lockable plastic boxes with lift-out trays and nylon cases with rigid interiors to leatherette briefcases and magnetic hard cases that offer an extra level of protection for your valuable tools.
TIP: Read more about finding the right chef knife case for you
What If I Don’t Have A Wallet, Roll or Case?
If you only take your chef knives away from your kitchen once or twice a year there is an alternative way to keep them safe and sharp during transport.
- Take a thick tea towel and fold the longest edge down about a third of the way
- Place the kitchen knives with the point approximately two inches down from the fold
- Fold the top edge down again over the points of the knives
- Fold the towel from the right until the first knife is covered
- Repeat until all knives are covered and then roll up the remainder of the towel
- Secure the roll with elastic bands
TIP: For more information about restoring your knives, our in depth guide to sharpening and honing knives will show you exactly how it's done
Is this the future of chef knives?
Recently, Liverpool-based manufacturer Rayware have developed a new range of kitchen knives due on the market in January next year.
Viners Assure safety knives are, according to head of product marketing, Kate O’Neill, “impossible to stab someone with”.
The company, who used 3D printing technology to create the prototypes, said the rising number of reports on knife crime inspired them to create a range that could be sold safely in shops.
So is this the future for kitchen knives?
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Professor John Ashton, an advisor to Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said he believed it has the potential, “to make a significant contribution to knife safety within the home and the wider community.”
