Some knife sellers have safeguards in place, but most say there’s nothing much they can do to deter crime

SINGAPORE: Speciality sword shop Caesars Singapore screens customers and conducts verification checks before accepting any orders for its products, which include daggers and swords.

Licensed to sell controlled items, the shop is required to take down buyers’ details and keep records of each sale.

On a number of occasions, the retailer has had to reject customers due to their age or their delivery address being different from their registered one.

“It’s suspicious and these are the cases that (usually) happen with underaged customers where perhaps, they buy the items for their friends who are also underaged and both sets of parents are unaware,” said the company’s operations manager Ng Hui Min.

“So when we ask for their parents' permission, or their details for verification and they are unable to furnish us with that, that’s when we reject the order.”

A similar approach is taken by sword shop KNX, which is also licensed to sell controlled items. Staff members are trained to screen customers and find out what they intend to do with their purchase.

Details like the customer’s name, identity card (IC) number, address, and contact number are also taken down for record-keeping purposes.

For purchases made on KNX's online store, customers are required to show their IC for verification when they go to the physical store to collect the items or upon delivery to their homes.

These are in line with police guidelines on the sale of controlled items and can act as a line of defence against those who intend to use such items with ill intent, said knife retailers.

In recent months, Singapore has seen a spate of violent incidents involving bladed weapons like swords, knives and razor blades.

On Thursday, two men were arrested after a police manhunt operation for two suspects who allegedly attacked two other men with bread knives in an incident at Boon Lay Drive. 

Footage circulating on social media showed the duo wielding the weapons at a carpark, with one of the victims appearing to have blood streaming down his face.

In another incident, a man was caught on video retrieving a pointed silver-coloured object from a car during a fight that broke out near Katong Square shopping mall.

Last month, there were at least three knife-related incidents, including one which a 37-year-old man was seen wielding a sword at Buangkok Crescent.

In another case, a 64-year-old man armed with a knife died after he was shot in the chest by police. He had refused to drop his weapon despite multiple warnings and being tasered three times. 

“NOTHING MUCH WE CAN DO”

However, not all retailers who sell knives, especially those that are not considered controlled goods, conduct stringent checks on their customers.

Neighbourhood hardware and homeware stores CNA spoke to said there is nothing much they can do to prevent people from misusing their knives.

“Most of my customers live around here and so they just come as and when to buy a knife if they need it for cooking. I don’t ask to see their IC or question them about what they are going to do with that because what’s the point of doing so?” said one staff member from hardware store Poh Hua Industrial, who declined to be named.

“I just wrap it up in newspaper and put it in a bag so the knife isn’t exposed when they walk around, for their safety and also others',” he said in mandarin.

There are also limits to what licensed stores can do to prevent people from buying knives to harm others, said KNX's business manager Raymond Koh. 

"If a customer wanted to buy a knife for illegal use, it's not like they would tell us that if we asked," said Mr Koh. 

"And if they really wanted to do something bad or illegal, they don't have to come to us, they can just go to a supermarket or a (regular) shop to buy a knife and do all those illegal things," he said. 

On Monday, Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan also cautioned against overregulating the sales of bladed tools as most of them are actually used for legitimate purposes.

“Regulated items will be subject to greater control, including the regulation of sales on e-commerce platforms,” Mr Tan said.

“We need to be calibrated on the regulatory measures to be imposed. Many items with common daily usage, like knives, can also be used as offensive weapons. We need to be practical and not overregulate such items.” 

Currently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regulates six items under the Arms and Explosives Act – swords, spears, spearheads, daggers, bayonets and dangerous bows and arrows.

However, when the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act replaces the Arms and Explosives Act later this year, items like knuckledusters and flick knives will also be included in the list.

Still, some retailers are erring on the side of caution when it comes to the sale of knives and bladed items.

Carousell said such products that are not meant for culinary or domestic use are not allowed on its platform, adding that it has taken down such listings.

“Carousell strictly prohibits any form of weaponry to be sold on its platform and will continue to further its efforts with both automated and manual moderation, to keep our marketplace safe,” said the company’s spokesperson.

As for Mr Varun Singh, who owns a camping and outdoor equipment store, he makes it a point to ask customers about the purpose of their purchase of knives.

That is despite him only selling fixed blade knives, axes, parangs and chopping tools – all of which are “permissible” items, according to classifications by the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

This means they may be brought into Singapore without the need for a licence, permit, authorisation or approval from the police. 

“We check to see if they are underaged and then ask them about their intent and if it’s something fishy or they can’t answer, then we won’t sell it to them,” he said.