So having a chat with my work colleague whilst making a sandwich and as the work kitchen knives were too blunt to slice a tomato I whipped out my Opinel from my pocket. He said what do you do with that when you leave work……erm I put it back in my pocket….to which he was aghast and reckoned I was crazy to carry it around with me. Now as he’s also a fairly outdoorsy type and wild camps, bothys etc so no stranger to knives as tools,  I did actually take a bit of notice of what he said.

I’ve always maintained that a 50 year old family man with not even a parking ticket to his name would be fine if stopped and searched with a small outdoor style knife on him and not really given it much of a thought but he reckons times have changed to such a degree that I’d be prosecuted (obvs Opinels lock unlike swiss army knives)

I would leave it at home if going anywhere obviously unsuitable like a gig, cinema, theatre or a concert etc but have often taken it to the pub as I’ve forgotten its in my pocket or in my rucksac or I’m going there on the way home etc. I do live in South East and not a big city so almost always in a rural or semi rural environment .

Is he right? should I basically stop carrying it or would I be better just swapping it for a swiss army knife – which wouldn’t be as good!

I’ve asked this before, but how many times do you actually need to use a knife? I’ve reached 65 years of age without needing to carry one every day. I have a SAK in my camping kit and one in my campervan. I have various sharp implements in my garage and kitchen Other than that, I’ve yet to experience a “if only I had a knife with me” moment.

Had to Google what it looks like. I suppose you need to know what you would tell a copper if you were searched and they asked you why you are carrying it?

I have no idea on the technicalities of which types of knifes are inherently illegal though.

I’m the same as you mid 50’s, regular dude…I would not carry a knife ‘on my person’ at any time. I have one sat on my desk at work, and often put it in my rucksack if I go away for a bit, but it’s part of a multi-tool. Look at it this way, if the cops stop you (spurious reason or no) is having a knife on you going to make that better or worse for you d’you think?

Always have my Benchmade mini-Bug out knife in my bag when I leave the house, can’t see the issue with myself carrying it. The screwdriver I have in there at the moment could do far more damage.

Yep, the rules still apply to you as a 50 year old family man – the lock part is specifically an issue.

Selling, buying and carrying knives and weapons – GOV.UK (http://www.gov.uk)

Look at it this way, if the cops stop you (spurious reason or no) is having a knife on you going to make that better or worse for you d’you think?

Very much this.

You can carry a knife if you have a lawful reason to have one. I haven’t got a lawful reason to carry one, so i don’t.

SAK in my pocket from when I leave for work until I return. I use it  lot during the day. If it wasn’t for the useful screwdrivers and pliers I’d happily swap it for a shielded blade box cutter as opening a lot of boxes can be a large part of my working day.

I have no need for a knife at any other time so don’t carry one. Just avoids any misunderstandings.

if the cops stop you (spurious reason or no) is having a knife on you going to make that better or worse for you d’you think?

At the very least it would give the cop an easy chance to up their conviction rate!

Just get a Swiss army knife to carry and buy a kitchen knife to keep in your desk.

If it locks, its illegal, no matter how nice you or it may be.

He’s right. Stop carrying it.

Begbie’s changed his tune ^

I accidentally took my Opinel to the airport style security at the US embassy in London! Having very carefully made sure I hadn’t packed any liquids, or other forbidden items, it went something like this:

>What’s in your bag ma’am?

– Er? I don’t know? An energy bar? Some paperwork?

>In the bottom ma’am? There’s nothing else in there?

– Er…A battery pack for my phone?

>There’s not a knife?

– I hope not! I mean, there could be, I do own knives…

>Could you check ma’am?

[Puts hand in bag thinking of all the various knives it could be and really really hopes it’s not the Opinel. It is the Opinel]. Extra security guards arrive. One inspects the knife.

>What do you use it for ma’am?

– Picnics with the kids! I must have forgotten it was in there! [Sweats]

>It’s not a locking knife, so that’s fine, just take it to the lockers across the road and come back after.

I did not point out that it does have a lock on it! Eep. But seeing a black teenager having all his belongings unpacked onto the pavement elsewhere in London did make me feel I’d been very lucky/unfairly treated.

You can get an Opinel with a rounded at the front blade, and the law concerning knives specifies specifically a pointed blade.

I’ve one conviction for being in possession of an offensive weapon, which was a long time ago(in my 20’s) but was for a huge lockback. 5″ blade affair and i didnt have it for camping. Resulted in a £300 fine

But as you say, 50yr old, no trouble with the police, shouldn’t really be an issue unless you’re pissed and waving it about in the street. On that note you will probably find having a pointed locking blade knife without a reasonable excuse will have them taking it off you, you may get arrested, though its not going to be a serious charge being in simple possession.  Even if they were to have you in court to explain, i think you could talk the case easy, pocket knife etc etc.

Theres also things like where its stored, so it is different whether its easily and readily available in your pocket, or in a holder in a pocket deep in a man bag.

i dont know anyone who carries a knife. i’ve never carried one. and have no need to carry one.

I would also think that in this day and age of knife crime becoming a series problem, whether you are a ‘road man yoot’, or a middle-age man, the law probably wouldn’t be keen on it.

@stwhannah

Jesus, what do you take as carry on, a hand grenade? 😁

Is he right? should I basically stop carrying it or would I be better just swapping it for a swiss army knife – which wouldn’t be as good!

If the knife locks or is fixed then you it falls under the needs a reason to carry. Which carrying out of habit is unlikely to count as.
So if stopped with it if you look suitably respectable you might get away with it but you risk ending up in court where even if you do finally get let off it will be an expensive and stressful process.
If you do feel the need to carry a knife then its best to get a UK legal folder (which I think is under 3inches and nonlocking) as thereare several which are designed to be unlikely to accidentally fold shut during normal usage.

Outside of that then it may come under justifiable reason to carry a lock/fixed blade eg I carry a locking safety knife when kayaking.

We used to as a brickies carry an array of deadly tools in a bag through the town centre. Thought nothing of it. Given I was covered in brick dust and muck we probably didn’t look like muggers.

If it locks, its illegal, no matter how nice you or it may be.

That’s not true though. The law says you are not allowed to carry a knife without good reason unless the knife you are carrying:

• has a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches
• is not a lock knive (they do not have a button, spring or catch that you have to use to fold the knife)

So lock knives are not illegal but are not covered by the “you’re allowed to carry these without a reason” exemption. There is a list of illegal knives/weapons on gov.uk – see Gov.uk website

I don’t carry my 25 year old Leatherman unless it’s for a specific activity (camping, allotment etc) and when I do its in its leather pooch at the bottom of some bag or other. Having worked with teenagers in the youth justice system I’ve heard plenty of stories that indicate that its not just their age range who carry for unsavoury purposes.

If you are on bad day and get “loud” with someone who has just jumped your parking space any passing police could legitimately search you and take a view about your intent.

Re: that government website detailing what weapons are banned. I wonder if you could blag walking around with a set of “hand claws” by arguing they are for gardening.

Someone gave me as a present once one of those small multi-tool things that’s the same size as a credit card, part of it folded out into a small knife, a bit larger than a box cutter blade.

It was actually quite useful so I kept it in my wallet.

Then we went on holiday to Amsterdam and I forgot it was there… idiot… The way there, no problem, Manchester Airport security didn’t catch it!

On the way back though at Schiphol they saw it and asked me to wait at the side… a couple of cops showed up on their Segways and gave me a very stern talking-to. In the end they confiscated it and let me off with a warning, managing to imply that if it ever happened again they’d throw the book at me.

You can get an Opinel with a rounded at the front blade, and the law concerning knives specifies specifically a pointed blade.

That’s not true – there is case law which makes it very clear a butter knife is an offensive weapon (https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2005/1132.html). It’s length and locking that matter. The gov website says “have a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches AND are not lock knives (they do not have a button, spring or catch that you have to use to fold the knife)”. There is case law that specifies that the it’s not the cutting edge they look at it’s the total blade length. Additionally the changes in the in law in 2019 make ‘flipper’ knives (where you press a tab on the back of the knife to open the blade) very much a grey zone, which has yet to be tested in court (and I wouldn’t fancy being the test case).

https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offensive-weapons-knife-crime-practical-guidance

Personally I don’t carry one every day, but I do have a UK legal one at home which most of the time is just used for opening packaging. I’ve occasionally left it in my pocket when i’ve gone out and about, which is why I made sure it’s UK legal.

This is the knife i usually carry. Joseph Rodgers Rosewood Lambsfoot

The 2 blade affair. Quality bit of kit.Main blade is 2 1/2″ Knife is probably over a 100 years old.

i dont know anyone who carries a knife. i’ve never carried one. and have no need to carry one.

It’s odd how much times change.

As kids in a rural area most of us had bowie knives (talking 11,12,13 ish). Knives were for building dens and man-traps in the woods and playing chicken by throwing them between each others legs!

I suspect OP, you are right, unlikely to be stopped and is you were then unlikely to be harshly treated (it’s not right,  but it’s realistic).  However I’ve stopped carrying my alien multi-tool in my rucksack as it has a locking blade,  Swapping it instead for multi-tool without a blade.   I do still have a gerber in the car and a sak on my key ring and don’t worry other than to try and remember to remove the sak from tnt keyring before going to the football… although I have forgotten and it’s not been asked about.

The ‘EDC’ crowd have just a touch of 2nd amendment yankee meets prepper about them. I guess it depends what you do every day. If I was a forester that might be a thing. But so Derek from accounts can make sure he’s tooled up just in case there is cheese to be cut or a particularly troublesome blister pack to open, not so much.

I have a leatherman with a locking knife. It nearly always accompanies me when I do outdoors stuff, especially overnight or far from home/help but my morning routine as I go out the house does not go “Wallet, phone, keys, work ID, KNIFE!”

Life has sadly moved on – I fondly remember my first pen knife and running around with it as a primary age kid. I’ve got my dad’s old ‘scout knife’ too somewhere – that was a proper evil looking 6 inch bastard in a shealth, but the scout emblem is burned into the leather so all totally fine and innocent! Up here a local town is reeling from two 15 year old young lads stabbing to death a bus driver. I don’t expect their knife had the scout badge on it. 🙁

Re: that government website detailing what weapons are banned. I wonder if you could blag walking around with a set of “hand claws” by arguing they are for gardening.

As they’re illegal to own, let alone carry I’d say no 🙂

How often do you need to knife when travelling to the office that it needs to be in your pocket?

I have on occasion worn my “fishing” coat whilst not fishing ( its very waterproof , so might put it on if its pissing down) , and later on, when I have reached into my pocket I have realised I have an 8″ filleting knife or a large pair of scissors in there.
Even though I have absolutely no reason too, I always feel a bit on edge until I get back to house / car etc to offload them.

Had to Google what it looks like. I suppose you need to know what you would tell a copper if you were searched and they asked you why you are carrying it?

emergency slicing of tomatoes in the office?

How often do you need to knife when travelling to the office that it needs to be in your pocket?

Oh I regularly feel the need to knife, although mostly in the office, not whilst travelling to it.

It’s why it’s best I don’t carry one 😁

Thing is; these days every cop is going to form an opinion of how to deal with you if you turn out a knife if they ask you to empty your pockets, becasue likely as not they’ve had to deal with the aftermath of kids now carrying around knifes. Regardless of your story that starts with “I can explain…”

Just no. There’s no need to have it.

My commute to work/the supermarket prep:

If it has a fixed blade I wouldn’t be carrying it at any age. Pretty sure the penalties can be quite severe. It doesn’t make any sense to put yourself at risk when there are some very good and perfectly legal folding knives (though they could still raise eyebrows depending on the context in which you’re carrying them).

oh well, I’ll bite. I’ve had a knife in my pocket since I was 11 or 12 maybe. (currently 51) still do. definitely has a locking blade and it gets used multiple times every day. BUT… I live in France somewhere pretty rurl, where I’m pretty sure most of the houses in the village have at least one firearm in them!

Every time I go back “home” to the UK I do a clear out of everything I think might get me in trouble. so far the only issue has ben the youngest daughters rose pink opinel and the airport scanner, (having not been detected on the way over). it was wrapped up in her unused waterproof… cue confiscated boarding cards, passports arrival of armed police etc. sweaty moment. result was they confiscated it and that’s all.

So back to the OP, i’d find something legal to carry, just for the peace of mind. (Unless you’re secretly a “prepper” and MUST have a knife, in which case move to France? the USA?)

it seems a much more emotive subject in the UK than here. Although as we have people shooting AK47s at each other in Marseille, maybe it’s just a question of relevance?

I really don’t see the need for carrying a knife. Maybe in cave man times it was handy, but not in the modern world

Kind of like why its sensible not to carry a gun at all times. It might be the right tool for the job on the very odd occasion, but no reason to have it on you all the time

I’ve always maintained that a 50 year old family man with not even a parking ticket to his name would be fine if stopped and searched with a small outdoor style knife on him

The problem with that is that you are indirectly suggesting that you should be profiled as fine, and others profiled as risky. I know you didn’t mean harm by this but young people, especially young black men, really struggle with the unfairness of profiling. If you don’t think they should be singled out, you shouldn’t also expect to be treated differently to them.

If it’s not something that you need to use regularly, why would you?

Agree about the EDC lot. It’s definitely got a lot of crossover with gun rights, sovereign citizens and pseudomilitary LARPers.

Just no. There’s no need to have it.

I could pop down to the harbour in town (kirkcudbright, Galloway) and if the boats are in find 40+ fishermen all with knives, or the 50 odd folk heading to work in the fish factory a few hundred yards away, they all will be carrying razor sharp knives whether they be queenie, scallop or fileting knives, strange how you are so very sure of yourself in proclaiming there’s no need.