Ronan’s Law, a set of regulations introduced as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, will increase the requirements on both online and high-street retailers to monitor the sale of age-restricted items, and prevent the sale of these items to under-age consumers. Here, we explain what Ronan’s Law is, why it is necessary, and how retailers can prepare for it.
16-year-old Ronan Kanda had just visited a friend’s house to buy a PlayStation controller when he was murdered by two teenage boys in June 2022.
His attackers, 17-year-olds Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, had mistaken Ronan for his friend, who had allegedly owed money to Veadhesa.
Using a sword that he had bought online and collected from a post office, Veadhesa stabbed Ronan from behind as he was listening to music, causing a 20cm-deep wound in Ronan’s back and hip area, and a 17cm-deep wound in his chest. Ronan died at the scene.
Why is the law on knife sales changing?
A key question to come from this tragedy was how a 17-year-old boy had been able to, not only purchase a deadly weapon online, but also pick it up in person from a local post office.
Nor is this the only tragedy to occur in recent years following the illegal sale of knives to someone under the age of 18.
On 29 July 2024, 17-year-old Axel Rudakabana killed three young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport using a 20cm-long kitchen knife he had bought online a few days before.
This led to the introduction of a two-step verification process requiring retailers to review a customer’s photo identification at the points of sale and delivery. As Ronan’s murder would demonstrate, however, this process is not infallible, with Veadhesa using a fake ID to procure what would later become a murder weapon.
In the face of rising knife crime, the Government is introducing further measures to prevent the sale of age-restricted products to underage consumers, and to ensure both online and high-street retailers play their part in reducing the rate of knife crime in the UK.
What are the current laws concerning sales of knives?
Selling ‘bladed articles’ to under-18s is illegal under section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 also expands the definition of ‘bladed articles’ to include weapons such as butterfly knives and push daggers.
Tougher sentences for the illegal sale of knives
On 15 February 2023, new, stricter sentencing guidelines were introduced for organisations and individuals convicted of selling knives to under-18s. To find out more about the guidelines, read our insight here.
In addition to the legislation, a voluntary agreement concerning the sale of knives has been in place since 2016, with many national supermarkets, retailers, and ecommerce businesses amongst its signatories.
This agreement encompasses various requirements for the sale and display of knives, both in-store and online, such as applying ‘Challenge 25’ age verification policies to all point-of-sale transactions. In 2019, this agreement was also updated to include recommendations on packaging designs and displays.
What changes does Ronan’s Law bring?
‘Ronan’s Law’ refers to specific regulations introduced under the Crime and Policing Bill.
In addition to the existing age verification checks that are required, both when a knife is sold and when it is delivered, Ronan’s Law will require retailers to monitor and report any suspicious or bulk sales of knives to the police.
A new policing unit will also be created to monitor for weapons being sold illegally on social media, although it is not yet clear how this dedicated police unit will work with, or complement, Trading Standards.
What is Trading Standards?
Trading Standards is a department within a local authority which investigates and takes formal enforcement action against businesses that fail to comply with Trading Standards law.
Under schedule 5 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Trading Standards investigatory teams can investigate alleged offences using powers similar to those of the police, including making test purchases to gather evidence, and entering the premises with or without a warrant.
Trading Standards enforcement action can vary from issuing cautions and fixed penalty notices, to criminal prosecution via the courts.
Retailers that fail to implement the required safeguards, practices and procedures will face intervention from both Trading Standards and the police, depending on the nature of the breach. Under Ronan’s Law, jail terms for individuals who sell knives to under-18s will increase from six months to two years.
Social media platforms, as well as online marketplaces and search engines, also face up to £70,000 in penalties for failing to remove content that advertises the use of, or glorifies, knives, as part of an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill introduced in April.
What should retailers do to prepare for Ronan’s Law?
As a starting point, retailers should thoroughly review all internal policies and procedures to ensure that they are compliant with the new regulations.
Whilst doing so, it may be helpful to cross-reference existing frameworks with the one recommended by the Government’s voluntary agreement, as this provides a useful example of what good compliance looks like.
Considering that online sales in particular look likely to be subject to much greater regulatory scrutiny, it is also advisable to examine whether the online sale of knives is even appropriate, or whether such sales are better reserved for high street locations.
Once retailers are satisfied that their policies are fully compliant, they should provide refresher training to all staff on requirements regarding the sale of knives, as well as communicating their expectations for compliance with stakeholders across the supply chain – particularly delivery services.
Securing buy-in and understanding from stakeholders and staff will be a key challenge for retailers. Individual employees must be confident that they understand what is expected of them, how they can achieve compliance, and why it is so important.
What does good compliance look like, and how can retailers demonstrate it?
When working on cases concerning intervention by a regulatory body, we often review the business’s existing practices, looking for evidence of current compliance and gaps that may have led the business to miss or ignore certain requirements.
We will often look to answer questions such as:
- Does the business have relevant, up-to-date policies and procedures that are easily available to all members of staff?
- Has the business made staff aware of these policies, and encouraged regular engagement with them through training?
- What proof does the business have of turning sales down to demonstrate that their systems are working?
Having answers, with the evidence to prove them, is crucial to demonstrating ‘due diligence’, should a retailer face a charge for offences under section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act.
From higher financial penalties to individual prosecution, the stakes are high for retailers that fail to comply with the relevant regulations, with online retailers in particular facing a much stricter regulatory environment.
Retailers must start reviewing their current policies and procedures now to demonstrate that they are playing their part in ensuring that tragic deaths such as Ronan’s never happen again.
Comments from this insight first appeared in an article for Retail Sector Magazine. Read the original article here.