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Hundreds of people are killed by knives every year and yet, despite XL Bullies being completely banned in just months, the government still hasn't completely ended the sale of zombie knives after years of campaigning and public anger, writes Ant Olaseinde of charity Always An Alternative

Knife crime has been on the rise since 2014. It has mercilessly taken 1,853 lives, and knives have been instrumental in 350,917 crimes over this period. It dipped during Covid, but it soon picked up and began to raise again.

In 2016 the government saw the introduction of zombie knives and, in an attempt to prevent knife crime, they banned the sale, manufacture, rental or importation of knives often referred to as ‘zombie knives’, ‘zombie killer knives’ and ‘zombie slayer knives’ by amending the Criminal Justice Act 1988. However, due to the explicit way the amendment was written, a loophole was created.

Are XL Bullies more dangerous than zombie knives? Reasons why government can and must act quickly