Met Police and Sutton Council officers are working closely with businesses across the borough to stop sales of age restricted products to children.
The message to retailers is 'No ID - No Sale' and 'Challenge 25' which requires retailers to challenge customers who appear to be aged under 25 to provide photo ID to prove they are aged 18 or more.
The message to retailers is 'No ID - No Sale' and 'Challenge 25' which requires retailers to challenge customers who appear to be aged under 25 to provide photo ID to prove they are aged 18 or more.
The age-restricted products include alcohol, cigarettes, DVDs/video games, fireworks, spray paints and knives.
The initiative to work with local businesses has been timed to coincide with school half-term and with the launch of the Met's Operation Sceptre to tackle knife crime, which launched on Monday, 8 February.
Police activities involve:
* extra patrols by uniformed Safer Neighbourhoods Teams
* use of stop-and-search powers
* weapon 'sweeps' by officers from Sutton's Safer Parks police teams
* test purchase operations by Met Police officers to check that retailers are not selling knives to anyone under the age of 18.
During half-term week this week, police officers will also be visiting Sutton, Cheam, Wallington and Worcester Park shopping centres to talk to young people about the law around buying and carrying knives and deterring them from becoming involved in knife crime.
It is against the law for retailers to sell any of the following to anyone under the age of 18:
* any knife, knife blade or razorblade
* any axe
* sheath knives, kitchen knives, craft knives and carpet knives
* any other article that has a blade or that is sharply pointed and that is made or adapted for use for causing injury.
Police and Trading Standards are working with retailers across the borough to:
* implement 'No ID - No Sale' and 'Challenge 25'
* have a 'refusals log' to document all sales refusals
* carry out staff training so they are aware of the rules and what's required
* improve their store layout, perhaps removing age related products nearer to, or behind, the counter
* display posters and stickers promoting age limits and sales refusals.
The maximum penalty for businesses found to sell a knife to a person under 18 is six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Cllr Nick Emmerson, Lead Councillor of Trading Standards at Sutton Council, said:
"We congratulate the Police and the Trading Standards team for their robust work in ensuring that Sutton traders recognise their responsibilities and do not sell age-related goods to children and young people under the age of 18.
"It is really important that borough traders understand their responsibilities to uphold the law and that should they be found selling to under-18s knives, knife blades, razorblades or anything that can be made or adapted to cause injury that an appropriate enforcement response will be considered."
Sutton Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Neil Tyre said:
"This initiative is all about keeping our children safe and reminding businesses that they have an important part to play in refusing knife sales to anyone under 18.
"We are fortunate in Sutton Borough that crimes involving knives are exceptionally rare and we are working hard to make sure Sutton remains a low-crime borough and one of the safest boroughs in London."
The initiative to work with local businesses has been timed to coincide with school half-term and with the launch of the Met's Operation Sceptre to tackle knife crime, which launched on Monday, 8 February.
Police activities involve:
* extra patrols by uniformed Safer Neighbourhoods Teams
* use of stop-and-search powers
* weapon 'sweeps' by officers from Sutton's Safer Parks police teams
* test purchase operations by Met Police officers to check that retailers are not selling knives to anyone under the age of 18.
During half-term week this week, police officers will also be visiting Sutton, Cheam, Wallington and Worcester Park shopping centres to talk to young people about the law around buying and carrying knives and deterring them from becoming involved in knife crime.
It is against the law for retailers to sell any of the following to anyone under the age of 18:
* any knife, knife blade or razorblade
* any axe
* sheath knives, kitchen knives, craft knives and carpet knives
* any other article that has a blade or that is sharply pointed and that is made or adapted for use for causing injury.
Police and Trading Standards are working with retailers across the borough to:
* implement 'No ID - No Sale' and 'Challenge 25'
* have a 'refusals log' to document all sales refusals
* carry out staff training so they are aware of the rules and what's required
* improve their store layout, perhaps removing age related products nearer to, or behind, the counter
* display posters and stickers promoting age limits and sales refusals.
The maximum penalty for businesses found to sell a knife to a person under 18 is six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Cllr Nick Emmerson, Lead Councillor of Trading Standards at Sutton Council, said:
"We congratulate the Police and the Trading Standards team for their robust work in ensuring that Sutton traders recognise their responsibilities and do not sell age-related goods to children and young people under the age of 18.
"It is really important that borough traders understand their responsibilities to uphold the law and that should they be found selling to under-18s knives, knife blades, razorblades or anything that can be made or adapted to cause injury that an appropriate enforcement response will be considered."
Sutton Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Neil Tyre said:
"This initiative is all about keeping our children safe and reminding businesses that they have an important part to play in refusing knife sales to anyone under 18.
"We are fortunate in Sutton Borough that crimes involving knives are exceptionally rare and we are working hard to make sure Sutton remains a low-crime borough and one of the safest boroughs in London."