James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have had a number of conversations about a knife amnesty. The evidence, from the UK in particular, shows that it can have a short-term and not extensive effect because knives are so readily replaceable. In terms of it being an awareness issue, we would have to be very careful about how to manage it, if it were to happen. We would need to ensure it did not engender fear in young people and actually encourage some of them to carry knives if they think it is a bigger issue than it actually is. That is why we tend to favour An Garda Síochána carrying out the harm reduction piece rather than having a more broad-based conversation around it, because the latter can actually engender higher levels of knife carrying, which in turn can lead to greater use of those knives.

Regarding increasing the sentences, I was struck by the fact that we have one of the highest sentences for simple possession, at five years. I think it is four years in the UK and two years in many other countries. We did not distinguish between those who may very stupidly carry a knife for self-defence purposes, which is a crime, and somebody who carries a knife with a clear intent to use it for an act of violence. That was the main reason for making the distinction.

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