Public Order Act 1986

The principal statute governing public order offences in England and Wales and police powers to regulate processions and assemblies. It replaced the common law offences of riot, rout, unlawful assembly, and affray with a codified hierarchy of statutory offences, and gave police specific powers to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies and to apply for orders prohibiting processions.

Key Provisions

• Section 1: offence of riot (12+ persons, maximum 10 years)
• Section 2: offence of violent disorder (3+ persons, maximum 5 years)
• Section 3: offence of affray (1+ persons, maximum 3 years)
• Section 4: offence of fear or provocation of violence
• Section 4A: offence of intentional harassment, alarm or distress
• Section 5: offence of harassment, alarm or distress
• Section 12: police power to impose conditions on processions
• Section 13: power to prohibit processions
• Section 14: police power to impose conditions on assemblies
• Part III: offences of stirring up racial hatred
• Part IIIA (added 2006): offences of stirring up religious hatred and hatred on grounds of sexual orientation

Relevance to Policing

The essential reference for understanding public order offences, protest policing powers, and hate crime legislation in England and Wales.