Crimes Involving Kirpans
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/26/004761/M
Version Date: 30/06/2026
Please provide the following data regarding recorded crimes and weapon seizures within your force's jurisdiction over the past five calendar years, plus the current year to date (from January 1, 2021, to May 31, 2026).
To ensure this request remains within the appropriate cost limit, please apply a two-stage filtering process to your search:
1. Stage 1 (Cohort): Identify all recorded offences or incidents that feature a "bladed article", "sharp instrument", or "knife crime" marker, OR fall under Home Office offence codes for possession of an offensive weapon.
2. Stage 2 (Keyword Search): Within that specific cohort, search the Modus Operandi (MO) text, summary, or free-text notes fields for any of the following keywords:
• "kirpan"
• "ceremonial dagger"
• "ceremonial knife"
• "religious exemption"
• "religious article"
The Performance Analysis Department has provided the following information:
Searches were completed within Niche in two phases as per the request and keywords searches completed within the occurrence enquiry log text.
The results are as follows:
2 x crime occurrences mentioning ‘ceremonial knife’. One was stolen during a Shed Break. The second knife was seized during a house search for a separate offence. It had not been used during the commission of any offences and was not in their possession as part of their religion.
1 x crime occurrence mentioning ‘ceremonial dagger’. The offender has been charged with possession of this item. It was not used to assault or threaten another person, and the item was not in the owner’s possession as part of their religion.
A further search was completed for property seizure which resulted in one occurrence involving the seizure of a kirpan. This was not in the owner’s possession as part of their religion, it was not used during any offences and the investigation resulted in no further action.