Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022

Official Summary

A Bill to make provision about the police and other emergency workers; to make provision about collaboration between authorities to prevent and reduce serious violence; to make provision about offensive weapons homicide reviews; to make provision for new offences and for the modification of existing offences; to make provision about the powers of the police and other authorities for the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting crime or investigating other matters; to make provision about the maintenance of public order; to make provision about the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles; to make provision in connection with driving offences; to make provision about cautions; to make provision about bail and remand; to make provision about sentencing, detention, release, management and rehabilitation of offenders; to make provision about secure 16 to 19 Academies; to make provision for and in connection with procedures before courts and tribunals; and for connected purposes.

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Overview

This bill, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, focuses on amending the Public Order Act 1986 to give police more power to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies, particularly those causing significant disruption. The bill has been subject to considerable debate and amendments between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Description

The core of the bill centers around amendments to Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. These amendments aim to clarify the circumstances under which police can impose conditions on public processions and assemblies. Specifically, the amendments allow for conditions to be imposed if the event might cause:

Significant delays in the delivery of time-sensitive products.
Prolonged disruption of access to essential goods or services (e.g., money, food, water, energy, communication, transport, education, healthcare).
Serious disruption to the activities of an organization near the event due to noise.

The bill also involves several amendments and counter-amendments between the House of Commons and the House of Lords regarding the precise wording and scope of these conditions, particularly concerning the definition of "serious disruption" and the process of imposing conditions. The Lords and Commons disagreed on various points, leading to numerous amendments, disagreements, and further amendments, showing the ongoing legislative process in action.

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify government spending figures. The financial implications would likely relate to increased policing resources needed to manage public processions and assemblies under the new provisions. No specific budgetary allocations are mentioned in the provided text.

Groups Affected

Police Forces: Granted increased powers to manage public gatherings.
Organizers of Public Processions and Assemblies: Subject to potentially stricter regulations and conditions imposed by the police.
Participants in Public Processions and Assemblies: May face restrictions on their activities and protests if deemed disruptive.
Businesses and Organizations: Potentially impacted by disruptions to their operations due to protests, though the bill aims to protect essential services and time-sensitive deliveries.
General Public: May experience limitations on access to essential services or delays to goods delivery during protests, but the bill also aims to minimize widespread disruption.

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