Home / Services / Criminal Law / Public Order Offences

Public Order Offences

Public order offences are crimes that cover violence and intimidation in public, such as drunk and disorderly behaviour, harassment, and violent disorder.

If you’ve been accused of a public order offence, contact our team of expert criminal defence solicitors for advice.

Our Criminal Defence team is one of the oldest and most experienced in the North West of England. Public order offences have been around for hundreds of years, but so have we. With 200 years of experience behind us, we stand by our clients’ sides and defend their rights.

We are ranked in the top 10 of criminal defence firms in the country based on client feedback at Review Solicitors for our strong success rate and unfailing ability to do the best possible job for our clients.

Get in touch with our public order offence solicitors

If you or someone you know needs fast, expert criminal law advice and defence at the police station, during an investigation or at court, get in touch with our public order offence solicitors in Liverpool, Runcorn or Warrington.

Call 03444 124348 | Ask us a Question

For urgent out of hours matters, call FREEPHONE 0808 196 1790

We regularly travel across the country to assist people at the police station or at court. Our lawyers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our police station representation service is free of charge. It is your legal right to have representation at the police station.

We highly recommend that you do not answer the police’s questions about an alleged offence until we are by your side to advise you. Anything you say during a police interview could be used in a decision to charge you or as evidence in court.

This includes if you have been invited for a voluntary interview under caution – these interviews are not casual chats. Instead, ask to call Bell Lamb & Joynson as soon as possible.

How our public order offence solicitors can help you

Public order offences are crimes found under the Public Order Act 1986 and other relevant laws. These laws cover a huge range of offences, from less serious offences such as threatening behaviour/fear or provocation of violence (max six months’ imprisonment) to very serious offences such as rioting (maximum 10 years’ imprisonment).

The circumstances of a public order offence can also be aggravated by the presence of other offences; for example, being caught shoplifting while being drunk and disorderly is more serious than just being drunk and disorderly.

We can defend you if you are accused of any public order offence, including:

Drunk and disorderly behaviour
Violent disorder
Affray
Harassment, alarm or distress
Intentional harassment, alarm or distress
Fear or provocation of violence
Riot
Obstructing emergency workers
Causing nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises
Racially or religiously aggravated assault
Inciting racial or religious hatred
Contaminating or interfering with good to cause public alarm or anxiety

Public order offences FAQs

What is a public order offence?

Public order offences are defined by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as the use of violence and/or intimidation by individuals and groups.

The main set of public order offences are covered by the Public Order Act 1986, but some other laws are also counted as public order offences, such as being drunk and disorderly and offences involving emergency workers or causing disturbances on NHS property.

What is drunk and disorderly?

Drunk and disorderly is the criminal offence of being drunk in a public place while acting in a disorderly way. Disorderly behaviour is causing a public disturbance, although the police have a lot of scope to decide when someone is acting disorderly.

What is threatening behaviour?

Fear or provocation of violence by threatening words or behaviour is a criminal public order offence.

This crime is committed when a person uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards someone else or distributes or displays any writing, sign or visible representation which is abusive or insulting.

The suspect must intend to cause someone else to believe that immediate unlawful violence will be used against them or someone else or to provoke the immediate use of unlawful violence.

Is protesting against the law?

Protesting is legal and is a human right. However, protests must be peaceful. Protests which result in violence or property damage may be illegal.

Under the Public Order Act 1986, it is illegal to riot, even if you believe that you have a good cause to protest about.

A riot is when 12 or more people in a group use or threaten to use unlawful violence for a common purpose, and their conduct was such that it would cause a person of ‘reasonable firmness’ to fear for their own personal safety.

Other unlawful behaviour during otherwise lawful protests can also be prosecuted, such as causing fear of or provoking immediate violence.

There are also some limitations on the right to protest; for example, protests can be stopped to prevent disorder or crime.

What should you do if you’re arrested for a public order offence?

If you or someone you know has been arrested for a public order offence, you need a solicitor straight away.

When you’re taken to the police station, the police will do everything they can to gather enough evidence to charge you with an offence. This usually includes interviewing you and asking you questions. It is vital to have a solicitor by your side during police interviews to provide advice and make sure you say the right things.

Your solicitor can also talk to the police on your behalf and get valuable information out of them, such as finding out what questions you’ll be asked before your interview.

Having a solicitor can often mean the difference between being prosecuted and being released with no further action taken.

At the police station, just ask to call Bell Lamb & Joynson. The police have to let you talk to a solicitor before they can interview you.