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Zombie knives targeted in plans to introduce weapon surrender bins

Daniel LoganBBC News NI
News imageGetty Images A person in a red coat places a silver knife with a black handle in a red bin, which has a hole in the top of it. Getty Images
Surrender bins will be set up in council recycling centres for the anonymous disposal of weapons including knives and batons

Councils across Northern Ireland have been asked to install anonymous surrender bins for a range of weapons at some of their recycling centres this month.

The Department of Justice's (DoJ) Offensive Weapon Surrender Scheme means items such as zombie knives, knuckledusters and butterfly knives can be disposed of safely and anonymously.

While it is already illegal to posses such items in a public place, a new law, as part of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, will make private possession an offence, bringing Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK.

Some councils have already agreed to the scheme, with most still finalising details.

News imageFermanagh and Omagh District Council A white bin has "KNIFE SURRENDER BIN" in the centre in black fontFermanagh and Omagh District Council
One of the bins already in place in Fermanagh and Omagh council

As part of the scheme, compensation can be claimed if owners of weapons drop them off at police stations. Compensation for a knuckle-duster was priced at £2.

If police currently find an offensive weapon in a private place, for example in someone's home, they can only take action and seize the knife in question if it is considered to be evidence in a criminal investigation.

The new law will change this, rendering possession alone an offence, thereby empowering police to seize such items and consider referral to prosecution authorities.

BBC News NI has contacted all 11 councils in Northern Ireland to see what their plans would be around the scheme.

Mid and East Antrim council have confirmed three sites will house the bins at recycling centres.

These will be located at Redlands in Larne, Sullatober in Carrickfergus and Waveney Road in Ballymena.

Fermanagh and Omagh council have also confirmed sites in their district, having had bins in place since 2021.

The DoJ said council staff will not be required to engage with those surrendering items or to touch or have any contact with the items being handed over.

News imageGetty Images Approximately 10 black and silver knives, of different variations sit on a wooden table. Getty Images

The DoJ say they are "working with stakeholders" to finalise the details of the scheme, with the intention of setting it up "likely" this month.

The Offensive Weapons Act was introduced by the UK government in response to a spike in serious violence, including knife crime.

What weapons are included?

News imageGetty Images A man wearing a yellow and navy rugby top has a silver knuckle-duster on his right hand. Getty Images
Weapons like knuckle-dusters are among those that can be handed in

The full list of weapons listed under the Offensive Weapons Act scheme:

  • Flick knives
  • Gravity knives
  • Knuckle-dusters
  • Swordsticks
  • Hand claws
  • Belt buckle knives
  • Push daggers
  • Hollow kubotans
  • Footclaws
  • Death stars
  • Butterfly knives
  • Telescopic truncheons
  • Blowpipes
  • Kusari gamas
  • Kyoketsu shoges
  • Manrikigusaris
  • Disguised knives - a knife designed to appear as an everyday object
  • Stealth knives
  • Batons
  • Cyclone knives
  • Zombie knives
  • Ninja swords

What will the scheme entail?

There will be two options offered to members of the public to dispose of their weapons.

There will be 17 designated police stations where you can bring weapons, and receive a receipt from police, who will then submit it to DoJ to claim compensation.

Prices vary on the weapon handed in.

The compensation available includes:

  • £2 for a knuckle-duster
  • £5 for a death star
  • £10 for a zombie knife
  • £14 for a blowpipe
  • £10 for a baton

The total value of the compensation claim must be over £30 in order to be eligible for compensation.

Police will not ordinarily check or test any weapon handed in, but if they do suspect a weapon has been used in a crime they have the power to recover it and test it.

For those individuals who do not want to be compensated and need somewhere safe to dispose of their weapons, surrender bins will be located at council recycling centres.

What happens in the rest of the UK?

Similar schemes have been active in England and Wales since the introduction of the Offensive Weapons Act.

Home Office figures show that more than 15,000 knives and offensive weapons had been surrendered as a result of England-wide amnesty projects, since July 2025 to August 2026.

Recently a UK government-led knife surrender project, backed by charities Words4Weapons and Fazamnesty, saw 37 static collection bins appear in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London last summer, in addition to a mobile surrender van.

Crime figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) from March 2025 to March 2026 showed a 14% fall in knife or sharp instrument homicides with 176 offences recorded in England and Wales, compared with the previous year (204 offences).

This is the lowest number of knife or sharp instrument homicides since March 1991.

Additional reporting by Donal McMahon, Local Democracy Reporting Service.