WEAPONS IMPORTATIONS

St Austell Neighbourhood Team have had to deal with a number of individuals recently who have purchased weapons from online platforms such as Temu and from adverts on social media platforms which have been intercepted by Border Force on arrival in the UK.

These have included tasers and offensive weapons such as knuckledusters. These weapons tend to originate from China and other countries in the Far East where they are legal to possess.

Tasers are conducted energy devices (CED) which are defined as firearms under the Firearms Act and are illegal to possess. Offensive weapons such as knuckledusters, zombie knifes, telescopic batons and throwing knifes are now illegal to possess in a private place. All of these items are prohibited from being imported into the UK.

This is a worthwhile reminder that despite items like this appearing for sale on legitimate online platforms, they are illegal to import and possess in the UK.

If you are considering purchasing items like these please don't! Individuals attempting to import or possessing these items do run the risk of prosecution.