Scouts and pen knives have been associated with each other for years and modern times are no exception. Knives are a useful tool that are used in many activities from pioneering to cooking and loads in between.
Scouts are encouraged to have their own pen knife to use at scouts but we ask that scouts follow the following rules……
- Scouts should only bring a knife with them to scouts when they are told to and not as a matter of routine. If asked to, they should hand knives to a leader on arrival.
- All blades should be no longer than 3 inches in length and should fold away. We would encourage you to consider whether a lockable blade such as an Opinel is safer than one which does not lock (eg Swiss army knife).
- Please be aware that UK knife law means that it is illegal to carry a knife with a locking blade (of any length) in public without a very good reason. Penalties for contravening the law are severe. To avoid falling foul of knife law, any locking knife should be carried in an inaccessible manner (eg in a backpack, not in a pocket) and only directly on the journey to/from a scouting activity when knives are required. You can find detail on knife law here.
- We encourage the safe use of knives by scouts as a valuable skill to develop. However, knives must always be used responsibly and only as tools (never as toys or weapons). Any misuse will be treated very seriously and appropriate action taken to prevent recurrence.
For activities where more specialised knives are needed they will be provided by the group.