Subjects:

Criminal Law

The 'Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006' contains four parts with five schedules and includes provisions to address alcohol-related violence and disorder including the use of drinking banning orders, the right of local authorities to designate (with the consent of the police) a locality as an alcohol disorder zone and to impose charges on holders of premises licences, and the establishment of an accelerated review of licensed premises by a licensing authority.

The Act seeks to improve the regulation of the sale and possession of firearms, imitation firearms and knives, including increasing the legal age for buying knives from 16 to 18 years old, and establishes the power to search for weapons in schools, further education colleges and attendance centres. It also contains a number of measures in relation to football-related disorder, sexual offences and the re-programming of mobile phones.