The maker of the Swiss Army Knife says is it working on a new model – without a blade.
Carl Elsener, chief executive of Victorinox, said a rise in regulation to tackle knife crime meant the company was developing a new version of its famous pocket tool.
In an interview with Swiss newspaper Blick, he said: “We’re concerned about the increasing regulation of knives due to the violence in the world.
“We’re actually working on pocket tools without blades. For example, I have a cool tool for cyclists in mind.
“We already have a tool specifically for golfers in our range. Cyclists probably need special tools, but not necessarily a blade. The blade creates a weapon image in some markets.”
Mr Elsener said Victorinox saw knife sales plummet by more than 30% “overnight” after the September 11 attacks in the US, telling Blick: “9/11 painfully showed us that we must not become dependent on a single business area.”
The Swiss Army Knife – first patented in 1897 – generally has a main blade plus other types of blades and tools including a screwdriver, a can opener, a saw blade and a pair of scissors.
Under UK law, a person can only carry a knife in public if it has a folding blade that is less than three inches long.
Read more:Boeing delays first ever astronaut launchCalls for kebabs to be subsidised in Germany
Advertisement
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
It is illegal to carry most other knives in public without a “good reason”, which includes for work, for religious reasons (such as the kirpan some Sikhs carry) or if they are carried as part of a national costume.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in April shows that knife crime in UK increased by 7% from the year ending December 2022 to December 2023, and has increased by 81% in the past decade.
ONS data also shows that sharp instruments – including kitchen knives, swords and machetes – were the most common method of killing for both male and female victims in the year ending March 2023, making up two-fifths of all killings in the UK.
Source : Sky News
