An unexpected request to propose Exeter host a pepper spray trial looks set to be discussed by Devon’s largest council.
Councillor Ed Hill believes that pepper spray’s classification under firearms law means some people who believe they need to carry a weapon for protection opt for a blade because of the perception they will be dealt with less harshly by the criminal justice system.
A motion penned by Cllr Hill suggests Devon County Council write to the Home Secretary with his proposals.
These include the government being asked to allow the Devon city to operate a trial whereby participants are “appropriately selected”, with “particular consideration given to people who report feeling the need to carry something for personal protection”.
The rationale includes the belief by Cllr Hill that knife crime has a higher financial and societal cost than pepper spray incidents, with stabbings having higher health and criminal justice-related costs than pepper spray.
Cllr Hill, who at 16 years of age suffered homelessness, said he had lived experience during that time of people carrying knives for protection, and the choice of a blade being linked to the perceived punishment they might receive if caught.
“Among the people I lived around, there was a widespread belief that being caught with pepper spray meant being dealt with under firearms legislation and receiving a mandatory prison sentence,” he said.
“Whereas someone caught carrying a knife — particularly for the first time — was perceived as much less likely to go immediately to prison.
“That perception mattered. Whether their understanding of the precise sentence for possessing pepper spray was legally correct is not the point.
“These were people making real decisions about what weapon to put in their pocket, and their understanding of the law influenced that decision.”
Data from the Safer Devon Partnership, which covers the geographic area of the county council – which excludes Plymouth and Torbay – showed there were 326 knife-related crimes in that area in the year to 31 March 2024.
A total of 104 of those were in Exeter, and the classification of a knife-crime in this data meets the Home Office definition, which requests police forces to identify knife-related crime as incidents that relate to use of, or threats to use a knife or sharp instrument in relation to specific crime types, (of a seriously violent nature, but not including violence without injury).
Cllr Hill said there were court cases that demonstrated the “devastating consequences of carrying a knife for protection”, and that when people are “more fearful of being attacked than the consequences of being caught with a weapon”, that they should have “access to a safe alternative to a bladed weapon”.
“The primary purpose of this proposal is straightforward,” Cllr Hill said.
“Take knives off our streets by testing whether people who carry them for protection will choose a lawful, less-lethal alternative instead.
“If someone carries a knife for protection, providing an effective non-lethal and lawful alternative would remove their perceived need to carry one.
“If they still choose to carry a knife, the argument that they had no alternative means of protecting themselves becomes considerably harder to sustain where pepper spray is available.”
Cllr Hill acknowledges that civilian possession of pepper spray “raises legitimate concerns” including misuse, domestic-abuse related misuse, theft, and devices being turned against their owners.
“These concerns are all true for knives, but for pepper spray, those concerns can all be addressed by modern technology and legislation,” he added.
The motion describes, in detail, how the trial should be conducted and states its aims, however, it’s not clear whether “forensic or chemical identification technology” could be linked to a specific pepper spray device, as he suggests, or what “anti-theft technology” would actually be.
“The precise design of the device and safeguards should be determined by government, police and appropriate technical experts, with any procurement undertaken through the appropriate process,” Cllr Hill states.
A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment on the motion.
Devon County Council said its democratic services department had received Cllr Hill’s motion. As with all motions, officers may suggest changes which councillors can decide whether to accept or not.
Cllr Hill’s motion is currently intended to be on the agenda for December’s full council meeting, and council votes on the day as to whether it debates the motion at the meeting.
Successful motions are sent to cabinet and then ratified at the next full council meeting.
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