You may be correct. The Criminal Justice Act (1988) says that you may carry a knife with a blade length of 3.0" or less so long as it is capable of folding. That means no fixed blade knives. A knife has no place at a football match, in a pub, nightclub or school and becomes an offensive weapon in these circumstances in just the same way as a screwdriver, or any other inanimate tool.

if you wish to carry a larger knife then you must have 'reasonable cause'. That means that you must be able to prove that you had a genuine reason for carrying the knife.

You may carry a larger cutting tool if it is associated with your work (for instance a chef may carry a 9.0" butchers knife roll to and from work), or if it is associated with your sport, (for instance a fisherman may carry a 6.0" fillet knife, or a hunter may carry a 4.0" fixed blade hunting knife).

The following items are banned from sale within the UK (although if you already own one you may keep it, but not use it outside of your own property) ... Switchblades, automatics or 'flick-knives', gravity knives, balisongs or 'butterfly knives', push daggers, belt buckle knives, sword canes, or knuckle-duster knives.

Late on in 2004, an amendment to the law was introduced which restricts the sale of any knife which is not readily detectable by the normal methods of detection, ie: either x-ray or metal detection, unless it can be proven that the knife's sole purpose is for the preparation of food. So for instance, the Cold Steel CAT Tanto or Lansky Knife are now prohibited within the UK.

You may not buy any knife designed to look like something else, for instance a knife which appears to be a pen, (and it doesn't matter whether the pen works or not, it's still a concealed weapon).



Again you are correct, if a policeman suspects that with 'good reason' you are involved in or preparing a criminal act, the policeman can stop and search you for incriminating evidence and can then arrest you if he feels this is the case. The decision whether the case is brought to trail is not the police officers. This is how a very famous English serial murderer called the Yorkshire Ripper was caught. A local police officer on the beat became suspicious and when questioned about his actions was arrested and then taken to the local police station. The hammer which the murderer had been using to dispatch his victims was latter discovered in a back alley where he was first arrested some hours latter.



Again you are correct. This could in theory happen if the police officer suspects that a criminal offense in either in progress or is being prepared.

I should also qualify everything above with the fact that in the UK the police force are generally seen as public servants. They are almost always approachable and helpful and there for the public good.

When it comes to self defense there the laws regarding reasonable force. I think we need an example to explain the differences. About 10-12 years ago there was a Scotsman who had traveled to Texas. He had been out drinking at a bar and had got to know some of the locals. He had accepted a lift back from the bar but was dropped off in the wrong neighborhood. The neighborhood was an upper middle class area. Being from Scotland as he would back home in Scotland he decided to knock on someones door and ask if he could use their telephone to get a taxi home. It was now late in the evening. In Scotland most people would open the door and call a taxi for the fellow to see him on his way. He forgot he was in Texas. He was shot through the door and was killed. In the US the property owner faced no charges because it was deemed self defense. In Scotland the same property owner would be charged with murder.