Public Order offences

From swearing at police officers, drunken or disorderly behaviour outside or inside clubs, to group or gang disorder, arrests at public demonstrations, and prison riots: we have seen it all, and we deal with it regularly.

ASBOs

ASBO stands for Antisocial Behaviour Order. An ASBO is a court order forbidding you to do certain things for a certain time: two years or more. It may say that you must not go to a particular place, or associate with particular people, or behave in a particular way.

The things the ASBO forbids you to do need not be crimes themselves, but breaking the ASBO by doing any of them is an offence punishable by up to five years in prison.

An ASBO can be made on conviction of any crime. Your local Council can also apply for one whether you have been convicted of a crime or not.

Football banning orders

A football banning order is a court order forbidding you to attend any regulated football match here or abroad. The order may require you to give up your passport or report to a police station at particular times. It stays in force for at least three years.

Most professional football matches in this country are regulated, and so are matches outside England and Wales involving a League team or the English or Welsh national team.

As with an ASBO, breach of a football banning order is an offence, punishable by up to six months in prison or a fine.

A football banning order can be made on conviction of a crime, usually one connected with a football match. The police can also apply for one if you have ever been involved in violent or disorderly conduct whether you have been convicted of a crime or not.