As our esteemed government insists on treating us all as five-year-olds, even a perfectly innocent stalker, keeper or countryman can get his collar felt for carrying a knife these days. Personally, I've had a knife and a length of string in my pocket since I was at school. It's a part of me. I feel naked without it. It's invaluable umpteen times a day, for innumerable little jobs. And since my ancestors (and yours) used knives to fight wild beasts and marauding tribes, hacked down trees and harvested crops to make this country what it is, I'm blowed if some jumped-up do-gooding numpty is going to tell me I can't be trusted with a pointy thing any more.
Having said all that, I'd rather not have to explain it to the magistrate, with all the bother and expense that would involve, not to mention the difficulty next time my firearms certificate comes up for renewal. Oh, and if you ever find yourself in that position, think very hard indeed before accepting the apparently easy way out of a 'police caution'. That is basically an admission of guilt, and will cause you all kinds of bother in the future.
So now I'm carrying this rather smart - and very practical - little Spyderco knife that's been designed precisely to fall outside the latest nanny-state knife laws. It has a blade of (just) under 3ins, and it folds. It doesn't lock - although it does open with a very positive click. In normal use, your forefinger blocks it from folding onto your hand, so it's almost as safe to use as a lock-knife. And if PC Plod makes a fuss, I'll refer him to the Criminal Justice Act 1988, Section 139.
The knife is available, price £69.95, from Heinnie Haynes; for more on the UK knife laws see this document at the BASC website.
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