Poundland selling realistic-looking toy knives for CHILDREN ahead of Halloween
Campaigners criticised the budget store saying their decision to sell toy blades was 'mindless'
POUNDLAND has come under fire for selling realistic-looking toy knives in the lead up to Halloween.
Campaigners have blasted the budget store for stocking the glow-in-the-dark toy knives describing it as “mindless” and “irresponsible”.
Gran Ann Beardley, 55, from Nottingham, spotted the toy knives when she was out with her granddaughter in Beeston.
She said: “We were looking at the Halloween stuff because my granddaughter wanted a witch hat and I saw this box of knives.
“It looks like quite a big kitchen knife and it has a proper handle on it.
“There will be little kids running about with these knives and I don't think it should be encouraged."
She added: "It's actually marketed as a weapon…that's what horrified me. They are just £1 as well and most children have £1 in pocket money they could use to buy this now.
"It is glow in the dark as well so could be confused for the flash of a blade on a dark night.
"You hear so much about knife crime at the moment. Whoever decided it would be a good idea to put these on sale clearly doesn't read the news."
Hyacinth Francis, 55, who set up the Chayah Project in Nottingham to tackle knife violence among young people, said: “I am mortified. They should not be promoting knives to kids.
"It is not a toy even if it is plastic. It is also in the face of people who have lost their children to knife crime.
"It sends out the wrong message. Today they are playing with it as a toy but tomorrow it could be a weapon.
"If police saw someone with it they would not know if it is a fake or real one either. It is mindless. I can't believe it."
Ben Rosser, 36, a former police officer who founded The Pythian Club, an organisation trying to steer young people away from knife crime, said: “Big businesses are all about making money. They need to be held accountable and take responsibility.
"It maybe Halloween but we are in the midst of a knife crime crisis where young people are dying daily and it is not responsible to be promoting any type of knife.
"There are a lot of other things you can buy on Halloween that is not knife related. It is shocking."
Patrick Green, of The Ben Kinsella Trust, told The Sun Online: "With a growing number of families losing loved one to knife crime over the last 3 years, Poundland's decision to stock and sell these plastic knife is insensitive and hurtful.
"We know that these toys are not illegal and they are not breaking any laws but I would ask them to reconsider their policy on stocking these knives given the current epidemic of knife crime.
"Families who have lost loved ones and victim's who have been injured by knife crime will find it impossible to understand why Poundland would want to sell these knives to children.
"By doing so they risk giving a dangerous message to children that carrying a knife is a normal or exciting thing to do. We implore Poundland to stop their sale immediately."
Nottingham East MP Chris Leslie added: "We're long past the point where any shops should be retailing knives to children, replica or not.
"Carrying knives without just cause needs to end and it does not help if we see this culture encouraged or made light of. I hope this retailer will think again."
But Poundland defended its right to sell the replica knives.
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A spokesman for the company said: "We share their concern on knife crime.
“That’s why no-one is doing more than Poundland.
"By the end of this month we'll be the only high street retailer to completely remove kitchen knives from all of our stores nationwide.
“This, however, is just a glow-in-the-dark yellow plastic toy for Halloween."
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