§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list in the Official Report those offensive weapons whose importation into the United Kingdom is prohibited;
(2) what report his Department has received from Basildon police concerning flick combs; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what are the current restrictions upon the import, possession and use of flick knives; when the present restrictions were last reviewed; and whether he will reconsider their adequacy in the light of increasing imports of imitation flick knives;
(4) if he will consider introducing legislation to prohibit the importation and sale of combs which have an identical external appearance to a flick knife.
512W
§ Mr. BrittanThe importation, manufacture, sale, hire, giving or lending of flick knives and gravity knives is prohibited under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Acts 1959 and 1961. I have received no report from the Essex police concerning flick combs. The provisions of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 make it an offence to possess any offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, and this enables the police to deal with the misuse of imitation flick knives.