Police arrested an American tourist who admitted to openly carrying a knife on a British beachfront.
The man had reportedly been as he sunbathing in Herne Bay on Thursday when locals reported to Kent Police that he was carrying a knife.
The American reportedly told officers he came from an open-carry state in the US, claiming he had the blade for protection and was unaware he could not carry it in public in the UK.
After being arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife, he was handed a community resolution where British law around knife crime was “fully explained to him”, police said.
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It is believed the tourist had picked up the steak knife from the kitchen of his rental property close to the coastline on Thursday April 3.
The ban is technically on carrying a knife openly. If he had it in a picnic basket with a loaf of bread, there wouldnt be an issue.
The reason open carry is regulated is because it affects those around you and whether they feel comfortable or safe. Becoming the source of potential danger is not an acceptable way to make yourself feel comfortable or safe.