the Public Order Act
/ðə ˌpʌblɪk ˈɔːdər ækt/
/ðə ˌpʌblɪk ˈɔːrdər ækt/
- a British Act of Parliament which replaced the old Riot Act in 1986. It was introduced in response to the riots in Toxteth, Brixton and other places in the early 1980s, and gave the police new powers to control crowds and arrest people who they thought threatened public order. The Act also created several new offences under the law, including violent disorder, threatening behaviour and disorderly conduct. Police powers were increased again by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994.
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the Public Order Act