Ninja Sword Owners Told To Surrender Them to the Police

Published on: 30 Jun, 2025
Updated on: 2 Jul, 2025

A ninja sword: Owning or selling them will be illegal from August 1

Surrey Police will be part of a surrender and compensation scheme for ninja swords being launched by the Government tomorrow (July 1).

Owners will have one month to hand in their weapons to the police and claim compensation.

The scheme will run until Thursday, July 31, and ninja swords will be illegal to possess, sell and manufacture from Friday, August 1.

The Government says the surrender and compensation scheme is part of a commitment to tackling serious violence and strengthening police powers to act. Changes to the Criminal Justice Act 1988 will add ninja swords to the list of prohibited offensive weapons.

Lawful owners will be able to claim compensation for the swords in most cases. The standard compensation amount for each surrendered weapon will be £5, although people will be able to claim for more if they can show that the value of their weapon exceeds this amount.

A Surrey police statement says: “For claims for individual items worth over £5, individuals must provide purchase receipts, invoices or other suitable evidence. For any claim for compensation for a ninja sword to be eligible under this scheme, the owner must also have evidence that they have either been the owner of the item or had contracted to acquire the item on or before March 27, 2025.”

Items can be surrendered at these front offices across Surrey:

Guildford Police Station, Margaret Road, Guildford, GU1 4PZ

Staines Police Station, 22 Kingston Rd, Staines, TW18 4LQ

Caterham Police Station, Timber Hill Road, Caterham, CR3 6LD

Surrey Police say: “People surrendering items must ensure that they are safe to handle while travelling to the police station and while on police premises. They must be contained in a manner that allows them to be transported without causing distress or alarm to other members of the public.

“Items must be wrapped up and placed in a sealed bag or box. They must not be carried openly at any time. Carrying bladed articles in public without a good reason or lawful authority is an offence.

“Carrying the items according to these instructions and accompanied by the claim form will allow individuals to claim that they have a ‘good reason’ – namely that they are about to surrender the articles at the nearest designated police station – if stopped by the police. Once in the police station, the person mustn’t take the item out until requested to do so by a police officer or member of police staff.”

Further guidance and information is available here.