Crime and Policing Act 2026: Commencement No. 5 Dates Set

The Home Office has fixed start dates for six groups of provisions in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, covering stalking protection orders, domestic abuse protection orders, paedophile manuals, internet suspension orders and historic prostitution convictions. None of them is in force yet.

Information last verified on 5 November 2026. This is a developing story; we update it as the record changes.

Status: The Commencement No. 5 Regulations were made on 3 November 2026. None of the provisions below is in force yet; each has a future start date, the earliest being 24 November 2026.

Jurisdiction scope: Section 75(1) to (4) extends to England and Wales and Northern Ireland under section 254(4)(a). Its two consequential amendments take the extent of what they amend under section 254(8)(m), so section 75(5) reaches Scotland as well and section 75(6) is England and Wales only. Section 170 and Schedule 18 extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sections 116, 117, 128, 129, 131, 142, 143 and 144 extend to England and Wales only, under the default rule in section 254(1) of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. Nothing in this instrument creates a new offence, order or police power in Scotland except through section 170 and Schedule 18; the only other Scottish touchpoint is the technical cross-reference amendment in section 75(5).

What Happened

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 5) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/1158 (C. 99), were made on 3 November 2026 by Sarah Jones, Minister of State at the Home Office, under section 255(1) and (5) of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 (c. 20). They are the fifth set of commencement regulations made under that Act, as the explanatory note states, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Regulations change no law by themselves. They set the days on which six groups of provisions already written into the Act begin to have legal effect, and those days run from 24 November 2026 to 15 January 2027. On 5 November 2026 none of the provisions listed in the instrument is in force. Most extend to England and Wales only. Section 75 also extends to Northern Ireland, and section 170 with Schedule 18 extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The instrument is headed for criminal law in England and Wales, criminal law in Northern Ireland, criminal procedure, and domestic abuse in England and Wales. Its separate note as to earlier commencement regulations records that the earlier commencement instruments under the Act were SI 2026/689, SI 2026/939, SI 2026/960 and SI 2026/1090, and its explanatory note states that no separate impact assessment was produced because impact assessments were produced for the Act itself.

Here is every provision the instrument commences, with its date and its extent.

The operative wording is short. Regulation 2 and the opening of regulation 3 read:

Section 75 (possession of advice or guidance about creating etc CSA images: England and Wales and Northern Ireland) of the 2026 Act comes into force on 24th November 2026.

Subject to paragraph (2), section 142 (domestic abuse protection orders) of the 2026 Act comes into force on 25th November 2026.

Source: The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 5) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/1158, regulations 2 and 3(1), legislation.gov.uk.

Regulation 3(2) then carves out part of that. Section 142(2) comes into force for all purposes on 25 November 2026 except for the purpose of civil proceedings as referred to in section 31 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and family proceedings as referred to in section 31 and defined in section 56(1) of that Act. The instrument gives no reason for the carve-out.

What the Law Actually Says

Stalking protection orders: two new routes, from 26 November 2026

Until 26 November 2026 there is one way to obtain a stalking protection order in England and Wales. Section 1(1) of the Stalking Protection Act 2019 lets a chief officer of police apply to a magistrates' court, and section 2(1) lets that court make the order if satisfied that the defendant has carried out acts associated with stalking, poses a risk associated with stalking to another person, and that the order is necessary to protect that person. A victim cannot apply. A criminal court cannot make one of its own accord.

Section 129 of the 2026 Act adds a second route. It inserts a new Chapter 3A into Part 11 of the Sentencing Code. New section 364B applies where a court is dealing with an offender for an offence, and lets that court make a stalking protection order if satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the offender has carried out acts associated with stalking, poses a risk associated with stalking to any person whether or not that person was the victim of those acts, and that the order is necessary to protect that person.

Two features of new section 364B are worth reading carefully. It does not matter whether the stalking acts were carried out in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and it does not matter whether they were carried out before or after the section commences. It also does not require the offence being sentenced to be a stalking offence.

New section 364A(3) says the order has effect for a fixed period specified in the order or until further order, and subsection (4) says that where a fixed period is specified it "must be a period of at least two years beginning with the day on which the order is made". That matches the minimum already in section 3(2) of the Stalking Protection Act 2019, so the two-year floor is not new; it is being carried across to the new conviction route.

New section 364C requires prohibitions and requirements to avoid, so far as practicable, conflict with the offender's religious beliefs and interference with working or educational hours, and says a prohibition or requirement applies in all parts of the United Kingdom unless expressly limited to a locality. Breach without reasonable excuse is an offence under new section 364G, carrying up to the general limit in a magistrates' court on summary conviction and up to five years on indictment, the same maximum as breach of an existing order under section 8 of the 2019 Act.

Section 128 adds the third route and tidies the 2019 Act around it. New section 2A lets a court make a stalking protection order where a defendant is acquitted of any offence, where a court allows an appeal against conviction, or where a court deals with a defendant on a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity or of being under a disability having done the act charged. Section 128 also inserts "on the balance of probabilities" into the tests in sections 2 and 4 of the 2019 Act, which previously said only that the court must be "satisfied". Appeal routes change too: appeals against Crown Court decisions go to the Court of Appeal, with permission, rather than to the Crown Court.

For readers trying to place this alongside the existing offences, our overview of criminal law in the UK sets out how stalking and harassment offences sit together, and our page on persistent harassment between neighbours covers the civil and criminal routes that already exist.

Domestic abuse protection orders: what section 142 does, and what it does not do

Section 142 amends the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. It makes three changes.

First, section 142(2) inserts new subsections (5A) and (5B) into section 35 of the 2021 Act. A domestic abuse protection order will be able to require the person subject to it to participate in an assessment to determine whether that person should be required to participate in a programme of activities, and the order may provide that if the assessor so determines, the person is required to participate in that programme.

Second, section 142(3) omits subsections (2) to (7) of section 36 of the 2021 Act. Those are the provisions that currently require a court imposing a positive requirement to name the person responsible for supervising compliance, to receive evidence from that person about suitability and enforceability, and that set out that supervisor's duties and the subject's duty to keep in touch.

Third, section 142(4) inserts new subsections (3A) and (3B) into section 44 of the 2021 Act, so that a magistrates' court may of its own motion vary a domestic abuse protection order made by a magistrates' court acting in the same local justice area, and the Crown Court may of its own motion vary an order it made. At present section 44 works on application, or in a case where the court could make an order under section 31.

None of that is a national rollout. Section 142 changes the text of the 2021 Act. Whether the amended provisions operate in any given place depends on separate commencement regulations made under the 2021 Act, not on SI 2026/1158. Our page on where DAPO pilot areas currently stand sets out the position by nation.

That distinction matters this month because of the dates. The pilot commencement of Part 3 of the 2021 Act, except section 55, in specified areas of England and Wales was brought in by SI 2024/1191, SI 2025/319 and SI 2025/515, and those pilot periods were extended to 24 November 2026 by SI 2026/342, made on 24 March 2026 under sections 86(1) and 90(6) to (9) of the 2021 Act. The commencement note attached to section 36 of the 2021 Act on legislation.gov.uk records each of those three pilots as running "until the end of the specified period on 24.11.2026", and states that the section is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 5 November 2026.

Section 142 commences the day after that, on 25 November 2026.

As at 5 November 2026, a title search of legislation.gov.uk for Domestic Abuse Act 2021 commencement instruments returns 18 results, only one of which is from 2026: SI 2026/342. No UK draft statutory instrument with that title is listed. We are not drawing a conclusion from that about what will happen on or after 24 November 2026. Only the Secretary of State can extend or further commence Part 3 of the 2021 Act, by regulations, and the published record does not yet show whether or when that will be done. We will update this page when it does.

Paedophile manuals: section 75, from 24 November 2026

Section 69 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 makes it an offence to be in possession of any item that contains advice or guidance about abusing children sexually. Section 75 of the 2026 Act inserts the words "or creating CSA images" after "sexually" in subsections (1) and (2)(b)(ii), and inserts a new subsection (2A) defining what "abusing children sexually or creating CSA images" means separately for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland.

The England and Wales limb covers conduct constituting an offence under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978, an offence under Part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 against a person under 16, or an offence under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 against a person under 16 committed with a view to sexual exploitation, and conduct outside England and Wales that would constitute such an offence if done there. The Northern Ireland limb mirrors that using the Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 and the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015. The new subsection also catches creating, anywhere, a prohibited image of a child within the meaning of section 62 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Section 254(4)(a) of the 2026 Act puts section 75(1) to (4) in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Section 254(8)(m) gives the consequential amendments in section 75(5) and (6) the same extent as the provisions they amend.

IP address and domain name suspension orders: section 170 and Schedule 18, from 30 November 2026

Section 170 is a single sentence: "Schedule 18 makes provision about IP address suspension orders and domain name suspension orders." The substance is in Schedule 18.

An IP address suspension order is defined in paragraph 1(2) as an order requiring a specified IP address provider to prevent access to a specified IP address for a specified period, and paragraph 1(3) says that period "may not be longer than 12 months". A domain name suspension order, under paragraph 3(2), requires a specified internet domain registry or a registrar for one to prevent access to a specified internet domain name, and paragraph 3(3) again caps the period at 12 months.

Both are granted by a judge, not by police or a regulator, on an application by an appropriate officer. Paragraph 2 sets four conditions for an IP address order, each of which the judge need only be satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe is met: that the address is being used for the purposes of serious crime; that there is a UK connection, meaning a UK person is using it for serious crime, a UK person is a victim of that crime, the use is connected with unlicensed gambling, or the address is allocated to a device located in the United Kingdom; that preventing access is necessary and proportionate; and that access will not otherwise be prevented, or that preventing it another way would seriously prejudice disruption of the crime. Paragraph 4 applies an equivalent four-condition test to domain names, extended to use that "will be" for the purposes of serious crime.

"Serious crime" is defined in paragraph 19 as crime where the offence is one for which a person aged 18 or over, or 21 in Scotland or Northern Ireland, with no previous convictions could reasonably be expected to be sentenced to three years or more, or where the conduct involves violence, results in substantial financial gain, or is conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose.

An order may carry a non-disclosure requirement under paragraph 6, applications may be made without notice to a judge in chambers under paragraph 10, and paragraph 8 allows the period to be extended more than once, each extension capped at a further 12 months.

Who may apply differs by nation. Under paragraph 14, an appropriate officer in England and Wales is a constable, a National Crime Agency officer, an officer of Revenue and Customs, a member of Financial Conduct Authority staff, or a Gambling Commission enforcement officer; in Northern Ireland the Gambling Commission limb drops out; in Scotland it is a procurator fiscal. A judge means a Crown Court judge in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, and a sheriff or summary sheriff in Scotland. Section 254(2)(z2) confirms that section 170 and Schedule 18 extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

These are criminal court orders aimed at serious crime, and they sit alongside rather than inside the online safety framework we cover on our page about the UK's Online Safety Act regime.

Historic loitering and soliciting records: sections 116 and 117, from 15 January 2027

Section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 makes it an offence persistently to loiter or solicit in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution. Since 3 May 2015, when the Serious Crime Act 2015 inserted the words "aged 18 or over", the offence cannot be committed by someone under 18. Convictions and cautions of under-18s therefore predate that change.

Section 116 inserts a new section 94A into Chapter 4 of Part 5 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. It says a conviction or caution "is a disregarded conviction or caution" if it was for an offence under section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 and the offender was aged under 18 at the time. That is a structural difference from the existing scheme. Under section 92 of the 2012 Act, a person has to apply to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State has to decide. Under new section 94A no application is required. Section 116(5) also inserts a new section 95(4A) requiring a relevant data controller to delete details of such a conviction or caution from relevant official records, as soon as reasonably practicable, once aware of them.

The practical effect of a disregard is set by section 96 of the 2012 Act: the person is to be treated for all purposes in law as if they had not committed, been charged with, been prosecuted for, been convicted of, been sentenced for or been cautioned for the offence, and disclosure obligations do not extend to it.

Section 117 does something narrower. It inserts a new section 165A into the Policing and Crime Act 2017 pardoning any person, living or deceased, who was convicted of or cautioned for that offence while under 18. It then amends section 167 of the 2017 Act so that section 167(1) covers the new pardon. Section 167(1) says a pardon "does not" "affect any conviction, caution or sentence" or "give rise to any right, entitlement or liability", and section 167(2) preserves the prerogative of mercy. In other words the pardon is formal recognition. The change that alters what appears on a record is the automatic disregard in section 116.

Guidance: sections 131, 143 and 144, from 7 December 2026

Section 131 inserts a new section 7A into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The Secretary of State "must" issue guidance to such public authorities in England and Wales as the Secretary of State considers appropriate about the effect of sections 2A, 2B, 4A, 4B and 7 of the 1997 Act, the Stalking Protection Act 2019, the new Chapter 3A of Part 11 of the Sentencing Code, or other matters relating to stalking. Consultation is required before issuing or substantially revising it, and a public authority given the guidance "must have regard to it" in exercising its public functions. The section sets no deadline for publication.

Section 143 is a power rather than a duty: the Secretary of State "may" issue guidance about honour-based abuse, which may cover prevention, identification, information sharing and joint working, with the same consultation, publication and have-regard structure.

Section 144 supplies the statutory meaning for section 143. Honour-based abuse occurs where a person engages in abusive behaviour towards a family member or a relevant connection, and is motivated wholly or partly by a perception that the other person has behaved, is behaving or may behave in a way that both shames or dishonours the perpetrator, the victim, either family or the perpetrator's community, and does not comply with the accepted norms of behaviour in that community. "Abusive" is defined to include physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse, spiritual abuse, psychological or emotional abuse and other abuse, whether a single incident or a course of conduct. A "relevant connection" means friends or acquaintances known to each other in person.

Where that conduct takes the form of abusive messages, the existing offences we describe on our page about offences for abusive and threatening messages continue to apply in their own right.

Analysis: Why This Matters

The following is analysis from the Recording Law Editorial Team.

The headline in this instrument is not a new offence. It is a change in who can ask for a stalking protection order. Since the Stalking Protection Act 2019 came into force, the gateway has been a police application under section 1(1). From 26 November 2026, two courts that already have the defendant in front of them can make an order themselves: a sentencing court under new section 364B of the Sentencing Code, and a court that has just acquitted a defendant, allowed an appeal, or made an insanity or disability finding, under new section 2A of the 2019 Act. Those are moments at which a criminal case can end without any protective order being sought, because the only existing route needs a separate police application.

The explicit statement in new section 364B(4) that it does not matter whether the acts were carried out before the section commences, combined with the balance of probabilities standard that section 128 writes into the 2019 Act tests, means the new powers operate on a civil standard applied to historic conduct within criminal proceedings. That is the same structure Parliament used for the original 2019 orders, and from 26 November 2026 it will also be available at sentence and at acquittal. Breach remains a criminal offence carrying up to five years.

On domestic abuse the instrument is more modest than its marginal title suggests. Section 142 is three amendments to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, not a rollout. The substitution of an assessment-led programme requirement for the current supervision architecture in section 36(2) to (7) is a change in how a positive requirement is set up, and the new own motion variation power in section 44 lets a court adjust an order without waiting for an application. The carve-out in regulation 3(2) means the new assessment provision is not switched on for the purpose of civil or family proceedings under section 31 of the 2021 Act, so the two sets of proceedings start from different positions on 25 November 2026.

The calendar collision is the thing to watch and not to over-read. The pilot periods for Part 3 of the 2021 Act, as the published instruments stand today, end with 24 November 2026, and section 142 commences on 25 November 2026. Those are two different machines: SI 2026/1158 commences amendments to the statute book, while the pilot instruments control where Part 3 operates. What the public record shows on 5 November 2026 is the pilot end date and no later instrument. It does not show what comes next, and neither do we.

Schedule 18 has the widest territorial reach of anything in this instrument, and the least obvious connection to its stalking and domestic abuse headlines. It gives a Crown Court judge, a Northern Ireland Crown Court judge or a Scottish sheriff power to order an IP address provider, a domain registry or a registrar to cut off access to an address or a name for up to 12 months, renewable, on an application that may be made without notice and may carry a non-disclosure requirement. The gating condition is serious crime as defined in paragraph 19, with a UK nexus. The procedural detail is already partly on the record. In England and Wales, rule 17 of the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2026, SI 2026/721, made on 29 June 2026, inserts rules 47.69 to 47.74 into Part 47 of the Criminal Procedure Rules to govern suspension order applications, and comes into force at the same time as Schedule 18. In Scotland, the Act of Adjournal (Criminal Procedure Rules 1996 Amendment) (Miscellaneous) (No. 2) 2026, SSI 2026/328, made on 4 November 2026 under paragraph 12(c) of Schedule 18, inserts a new Chapter 74 on internet protocol address and domain name suspension orders, but does not come into force until 7 December 2026, a week after the Schedule itself. No Crown Court Rules for Northern Ireland under paragraph 12 appear on legislation.gov.uk.

Finally, sections 116 and 117 are worth separating. The pardon in new section 165A of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 is symbolic by express statutory design, because section 167(1) says a pardon does not affect any conviction, caution or sentence and gives rise to no right, entitlement or liability. The disregard in new section 94A of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 is the operative part, because it works automatically rather than on application and triggers the deletion duty in new section 95(4A). People in this group will not need to apply for anything from 15 January 2027, which also means they will not receive a decision letter telling them an application succeeded.

What Happens Next

Nothing in SI 2026/1158 takes effect before 24 November 2026. The dated sequence is:

24 November 2026. Section 75 comes into force in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland. This is also the last day of the pilot periods for Part 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 in specified areas of England and Wales, as those periods currently stand under SI 2026/342.

25 November 2026. Section 142 comes into force in England and Wales, with section 142(2) excluded for the purpose of civil and family proceedings referred to in section 31 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

26 November 2026. Sections 128 and 129 come into force in England and Wales. From this date a sentencing court or a court dealing with an acquittal or equivalent finding can make a stalking protection order.

30 November 2026. Section 170 and Schedule 18 come into force in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

7 December 2026. Sections 131, 143 and 144 come into force in England and Wales, switching on the duty to issue stalking guidance and the power to issue honour-based abuse guidance.

15 January 2027. Sections 116 and 117 come into force in England and Wales.

Four things would change the picture, and each would show up in a published document rather than in a briefing. A further commencement or saving instrument under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 would resolve the position of Part 3 in the pilot areas after 24 November 2026. A Commencement No. 6 instrument under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 would bring in further provisions and, as with this one, would arrive with a note listing what is already commenced. Crown Court Rules for Northern Ireland under paragraph 12 of Schedule 18 would complete the procedural picture; the England and Wales rules (SI 2026/721) and the Scottish Act of Adjournal (SSI 2026/328) have already been made. And publication of the guidance required by new section 7A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 would tell public authorities in England and Wales what they must have regard to.

We check the legislation.gov.uk record for each of these and will date any update on this page.

How This Affects You

This section is general information about what the instrument does. It is not advice about any individual situation, and nothing here tells you what to do in your case.

If you are living with abuse or being stalked right now, none of the changes above alters what is available to you today. The existing law in England and Wales continues to apply until the dates listed, and protective orders, police powers and support services operate as they do now.

If you are already subject to a stalking protection order or a domestic abuse protection order, these Regulations do not change your existing order. Section 142 changes what a court may put into an order and how a court may vary one, from 25 November 2026 onward, in England and Wales.

If you were convicted of or cautioned for loitering or soliciting under section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 when you were under 18, the disregard created by section 116 is automatic from 15 January 2027 and does not require an application. The pardon in section 117 does not quash the conviction or caution, because section 167(1) of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 says a pardon does not affect any conviction, caution or sentence.

If you run a registry, act as a registrar or allocate IP addresses, Schedule 18 creates obligations that can be imposed on you by court order from 30 November 2026 anywhere in the United Kingdom, including a possible non-disclosure requirement.

A solicitor is the right person to tell you how any of this applies to your circumstances.

Help in the UK

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you cannot speak, and you are calling from a mobile, press 55 to have your call transferred to the police.

For confidential support:

• England: National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247, 24 hours
• Wales: Live Fear Free, 0808 80 10 100, 24 hours
• Scotland: Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, 0800 027 1234
• Northern Ireland: Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, 0808 802 1414

These are the services listed on the government's domestic abuse page at GOV.UK, which also lists webchat, email and text routes if a phone call is not safe.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Commencement dates can be amended or revoked by a later statutory instrument, and the position of Part 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 after 24 November 2026 is not settled on the published record. If a protective order, a criminal record or a court order affects you, speak to a solicitor about your own circumstances.

Related articles

• Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO) UK: pilot areas and current status by nation
• UK criminal law hub: offences and procedure
• Neighbour harassment in the UK: your options
• Malicious communications and abusive messages
• The UK Online Safety Act explained

Last updated: 2026-11-05. This is a developing story; details verified as of 2026-11-05.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Crime and Policing Act 2026 come into force?

The Act does not come into force all at once. Section 255 lets the Secretary of State appoint start dates by regulations, and parts of the Act have already been commenced, or had start dates appointed, by SI 2026/689, SI 2026/939, SI 2026/960 and SI 2026/1090. The Commencement No. 5 Regulations, SI 2026/1158, add six more groups of provisions with dates between 24 November 2026 and 15 January 2027. Other provisions still have no date.

Can a court make a stalking protection order on conviction now?

No. Section 129 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which inserts Chapter 3A into Part 11 of the Sentencing Code, comes into force on 26 November 2026 in England and Wales. Until then, the only route to a stalking protection order is an application by a chief officer of police to a magistrates' court under section 1(1) of the Stalking Protection Act 2019.

What changes for domestic abuse protection orders on 25 November 2026?

In England and Wales, section 142 of the 2026 Act amends the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 in three ways. A DAPO will be able to require participation in an assessment that determines whether a programme of activities should be required. Subsections (2) to (7) of section 36, which deal with naming a person to supervise compliance, are removed. A magistrates' court and the Crown Court will be able to vary a DAPO of their own motion. Section 142(2) is not commenced for civil or family proceedings.

Does SI 2026/1158 extend the DAPO pilot or roll DAPOs out across England and Wales?

No. It commences amendments to the text of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Where Part 3 of that Act operates is controlled by separate commencement regulations made under the 2021 Act. The published pilot periods currently run to 24 November 2026 under SI 2026/342, and as at 5 November 2026 legislation.gov.uk lists no later instrument extending them.

What is an IP address suspension order?

Under paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 18 to the Crime and Policing Act 2026, it is an order requiring a specified IP address provider to prevent access to a specified IP address for a specified period of no more than 12 months. A judge may grant one on an application by an appropriate officer if satisfied there are reasonable grounds to believe four conditions are met, including that the address is being used for the purposes of serious crime and that there is a UK connection. It comes into force on 30 November 2026 across the United Kingdom.

Will an under-18 conviction for loitering or soliciting be removed automatically?

From 15 January 2027 in England and Wales, new section 94A of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 makes such a conviction or caution a disregarded conviction or caution without any application, provided the offence was under section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959 and the person was under 18 at the time. New section 95(4A) requires the relevant data controller to delete the details from relevant official records as soon as reasonably practicable once aware of them.

Does the new pardon quash a conviction?

No. Section 117 inserts section 165A into the Policing and Crime Act 2017 and amends section 167 so that section 167(1) applies to it. Section 167(1) states that a pardon does not affect any conviction, caution or sentence and does not give rise to any right, entitlement or liability. The change that affects records is the automatic disregard created by section 116, not the pardon.

Does any of this apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

Only in part. Section 170 and Schedule 18, the internet suspension powers, extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under section 254(2)(z2) of the Act. Section 75(1) to (4), on advice or guidance about creating child sexual abuse images, extends to England and Wales and Northern Ireland under section 254(4)(a), and its two consequential amendments take the extent of what they amend under section 254(8)(m), so section 75(5) reaches Scotland as well while section 75(6) is England and Wales only. Sections 116, 117, 128, 129, 131, 142, 143 and 144 extend to England and Wales only under the default rule in section 254(1).

What counts as honour-based abuse under the Crime and Policing Act 2026?

Section 144 defines it for the purposes of the guidance power in section 143. It occurs where a person engages in abusive behaviour towards a family member or a relevant connection and is motivated wholly or partly by a perception that the other person has behaved, is behaving or may behave in a way that shames or dishonours a person, family or community and does not comply with that community's accepted norms. Section 144 does not create an offence. Both sections come into force on 7 December 2026 in England and Wales.