Officers from the Thames Valley Police neighbourhood policing team in Aylesbury, alongside Aylesbury police cadets, carried out a knife test purchasing operation in the town.
Six shops were visited during the operation, with three failing the checks after an under-18 volunteer was able to buy a pointed bladed item.
Police said follow-up visits will now take place at the stores involved to ensure staff have completed further training and are aware of the law around age-restricted sales. The businesses will also be re-tested at a later date.
It is illegal in England and Wales to sell most knives or bladed articles to anyone under the age of 18 under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.
Test purchasing operations are regularly used by police and trading standards teams across the UK to check whether retailers are following age verification rules for products including knives, alcohol and tobacco.
The operation comes amid continued national concern around young people’s access to knives. In December last year, the Government set out plans aimed at strengthening enforcement around knife sales and improving age verification checks, alongside wider measures to reduce serious youth violence.
*All pictures from TVP Aylesbury Vale social media
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