Has anyone had a UKPK confiscated by police in the UK?

[SpydieCollector]

The law in England is very restrictive when it comes to legal carry and any knife over 3" and locking is illegal to carry without good reason.

I live in a large city, travel by train, and often find police check points randomly set up herding people through metal detectors.

Stop and searches are becoming more frequent these days and I'm thinking of changing my just under 3" UKPK blade to the probably safer - legally wise - Metropolitan 2.6" that's recently come out. Well, for train travel at least.

Has anyone lost a legal carry knife in the UK from police confiscation?

Thoughts appreciated.

[vanka]

I live in London and I know exactly what you mean. Never in my life have I been stopped for searching, let alone face confiscation. By law you shouldn't have any issues. Eventually you might have a lot of headaches from over zealous officers trying to prove themselves in the field. Talking with other people I was left with the impression that majority of them are not familiar with the wording in the legislation. Especially the young ones.

[Synov]

I live in a large city, travel by train, and often find police check points randomly set up herding people through metal detectors.

I saw a video where they said you have the legal right to not go through the metal detector if the police don't have grounds to search you, but then the police said that avoiding the metal detector gave them grounds to search you. So being searched is completely voluntary but if you don't volunteer we will force you to be searched...

[akapennypincher]

Sound like England much have Zero Crime, with all these law. Like Chicago so safe because of Anti Firearms Laws.

[ChrisinHove]

I’ve never been stopped or searched. I rarely even see a policeman.

[SpydieCollector]

Eventually you might have a lot of headaches from over zealous officers trying to prove themselves in the field. Talking with other people I was left with the impression that majority of them are not familiar with the wording in the legislation. Especially the young ones.

Yes that's one of the main issues. Police always seem to err on the side of caution. I've read stories on more than one occasion of people who were offered a voluntary surrender of a technically legal knife or face arrest. I've seen 'fly on the wall videos of the same, filmed in public by YouTubers and the like, in the area I live and travel.

[SpydieCollector]

I live in a large city, travel by train, and often find police check points randomly set up herding people through metal detectors.

I saw a video where they said you have the legal right to not go through the metal detector if the police don't have grounds to search you, but then the police said that avoiding the metal detector gave them grounds to search you. So being searched is completely voluntary but if you don't volunteer we will force you to be searched...

Yes we have this issue in my city centre. You can volunteer to go through the knife arch, or you can refuse and the cops will view that with suspicion and potentially action a search. I've seen it happen.

[SpydieCollector]

Sound like England much have Zero Crime, with all these law. Like Chicago so safe because of Anti Firearms Laws.

England is currently sinking in a wide spread mass crime wave imo.

[SpydieCollector]

I’ve never been stopped or searched. I rarely even see a policeman.

I travel through train hubs where the police often focus their stop and search polices. My UKPK would set a knife arch alarm off no doubt. I'm wondering if a slightly smaller - yet just as legal as a UKPK - knife would cause me less hassle.

[PanChango]

I’ve never been stopped or searched. I rarely even see a policeman.

I travel through train hubs where the police often focus their stop and search polices. My UKPK would set a knife arch alarm off no doubt. I'm wondering if a slightly smaller - yet just as legal as a UKPK - knife would cause me less hassle.

Where I live, If a cop wants to give you a bad time, he will find a reason to do it regardless of blade size. There is legality and then there is officer discretion and I have seen them try to call a leatherman micra an offensive weapon.

[SpydieCollector]

I’ve never been stopped or searched. I rarely even see a policeman.

I travel through train hubs where the police often focus their stop and search polices. My UKPK would set a knife arch alarm off no doubt. I'm wondering if a slightly smaller - yet just as legal as a UKPK - knife would cause me less hassle.

Where I live, If a cop wants to give you a bad time, he will find a reason to do it regardless of blade size. There is legality and then there is officer discretion and I have seen them try to call a leatherman micra an offensive weapon.

I've got one. The hamsters machete

[Flash]

Never had a knife confiscated or ever been searched but then I don’t live in a city. I live out in the sticks and have an outdoor job, so it’s not really an issue for me. I can more or less carry what I like whilst maintaining a just cause.

With the way tensions are in the cities in the U.K. at the moment I think I’d be tempted to not carry at all, particularly the crime-ridden cess pit that is London nowadays - Thank Sir Sadiq Kahn for all his good work on that one.

[SpydieCollector]

With the way tensions are in the cities in the U.K. at the moment I think I’d be tempted to not carry at all,

I often travel with the aforementioned Leatherman Micra but it's woeful and dangerous for any bonafide cutting task, and there's still some leeway in the UK law to allow a more useful knife carry, hence my current pondering

I've veered off subject a bit.

I'm thinking the Metropolitan might fare the knife arches better with a blade closer to 2.5" than my UKPK.

Or maybe I'll just travel with my Byrd Tern.

Or be super safe legally and carry the Micra. Better stock up on bandages for my fingers with that one.

[vivi]

With the way tensions are in the cities in the U.K. at the moment I think I’d be tempted to not carry at all,

I often travel with the aforementioned Leatherman Micra but it's woeful and dangerous for any bonafide cutting task, and there's still some leeway in the UK law to allow a more useful knife carry, hence my current pondering

I've veered off subject a bit.

I'm thinking the Metropolitan might fare the knife arches better with a blade closer to 2.5" than my UKPK.

Or maybe I'll just travel with my Byrd Tern.

Or be super safe legally and carry the Micra. Better stock up on bandages for my fingers with that one.

leave the handle open on your micra and even I can maintain a four finger grip.



Treat it like the slipjoint it is, use that grip and keep it sharp and it's a perfectly viable cutting tool.

[SpydieCollector]

leave the handle open on your micra and even I can maintain a four finger grip.



Treat it like the slipjoint it is, use that grip and keep it sharp and it's a perfectly viable cutting tool.

... I nearly cut my finger off trying to do that with mine.

I just realised, mine's not even a Micra ... its a squirt. Doh!

[ekastanis]

My UKPK would set a knife arch alarm off no doubt.

You might be surprised, I’ve managed to get a UKPK Salt (LC200N) past a metal detector.

[SpydieCollector]

My UKPK would set a knife arch alarm off no doubt.

You might be surprised, I’ve managed to get a UKPK Salt (LC200N) past a metal detector.

I'd be worried about trying. Maybe I should ask the policemen staffing the next knife arch I come across if I can test which one of my knives will evade their detecting

I have sought legal advice regarding the legality of the UKPK and there's more opinions on it then colours in the rainbow. Basically, yes the UKPK is UK legal, but if you're seen with it in an environment deemed unsuitable, you may be questioned about why you have it, despite not needing a reason to carry it.Clear as mud

Basically, even a legal knife can be deemed a problem depending on how the wind blows.


Here a good video on the legality of carrying the UKPK in England:



* edited to make more sense.

[vivi]

leave the handle open on your micra and even I can maintain a four finger grip.



Treat it like the slipjoint it is, use that grip and keep it sharp and it's a perfectly viable cutting tool.

... I nearly cut my finger off trying to do that with mine.

I just realised, mine's not even a Micra ... its a squirt. Doh!

ah. those are designed for a pinch grip. there's a contour on the scales for your thumb. that works better than gripping it like a UKPK.

[Roefisher]

I guess a lot of it is where you are and the law's reaction with the local situations they experince.

I'm in the UK and I carried a Sebenza or Mnandi everyday for maybe ten or fifteen years, and a Buck before that for years too. And since then, I nearly always have a locking Spyderco or a Mora Eldris on me. But the knives I carry are not really the point as I have never been searched by police or asked why I was carrying a knife so I can't say what their reaction would have been.

If I am somewhere busy, recently I've started to only carry my UKPK or a James Barber ERA slipjoint - because I see times have changed and I don't want the fuss of being questioned or maybe even arrested. To be honest, I think if you were in the right situation with the right person, I don't think the difference between a UKPK and a Metropolitan would make much of a difference, in a good way or a bad way. They'd just see a knife and go from there...

Mark

[SpydieCollector]

leave the handle open on your micra and even I can maintain a four finger grip.



Treat it like the slipjoint it is, use that grip and keep it sharp and it's a perfectly viable cutting tool.

... I nearly cut my finger off trying to do that with mine.

I just realised, mine's not even a Micra ... its a squirt. Doh!

ah. those are designed for a pinch grip. there's a contour on the scales for your thumb. that works better than gripping it like a UKPK.

I have a lot of knives and this one is the scariest I own in regard to how easy it is to get a self inflicted thumb slice.

I've never been able to get a truly comfortable grip on it, its just a bit too small. But its very well made and does have some indispensable uses including the pliers, they're great for the size.