Introduction
The Crime and Policing Bill received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and is now the Crime and Policing Act 2026 – and for those of us working with victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB), it marks a significant moment.
The Act forms a central part of the Government’s response to anti-social behaviour and is intended to equip the police and partner agencies with a strengthened suite of powers.
At ASB Help, we have been following the progress of this legislation closely, and we know that many of the people we work with – victims, practitioners, and partner organisations alike – want to understand what has actually been confirmed in the final document. Because when it comes to legislation, what is promised during a Bill’s passage through Parliament does not always reflect what is in the final version.
So, this blog sets out what has been set in stone in relation to ASB and what it means for victims and the agencies that support them.
Respect Orders
Respect Orders have been a long-anticipated introduction. They are a new civil court order that partially replaces the existing civil injunction (ASBI) for adults aged 18 and over.
What has changed:
- The Respect Order is a new civil behavioural order that enables courts to ban adult offenders from engaging in specified activities relating to their ASB.
- Breach of a Respect Order is a criminal offence, meaning the police can enforce suspected breaches via arrest.
- The Respect Order can also contain positive requirements, which can compel perpetrators to take action to address the root cause of their behaviour.
- Orders can prohibit behaviour and/or require the perpetrator to take positive action – such as attending a programme to address the underlying causes of their conduct.
- Applications can be made by a wide range of relevant authorities including local authorities, housing providers, and the police.
- In cases involving violence or significant risk of harm, a perpetrator can be excluded from their own home by court order.
- Respect Orders will be piloted to ensure that they are as effective as possible before national roll-out.
What this means for victims:
The most significant change here is the power of arrest on breach. Under the old civil injunction, a perpetrator who ignored a court order could not be immediately arrested – agencies had to return to court to seek enforcement, a process that could take weeks. For a victim experiencing persistent ASB, those weeks could feel like a lifetime. The Respect Order changes this fundamentally. If a perpetrator breaches the conditions of their order, the police can arrest them on the spot. The addition of positive requirements is also significant – it means the court can address not just what a perpetrator is doing, but why, which increases the chances of lasting behaviour change rather than temporary compliance.
Youth Injunction
While the Respect Order replaces the civil injunction for adults, a separate route is retained for young people, now formally called the Youth Injunction.
What has changed:
- The Act confines the power to grant injunctions under section 1 of the 2014 Act to persons aged 10 or over but under 18.
- Youth Injunction applications must be made to the Youth Court, reflecting the different legal and welfare considerations that apply to young people.
- Applicants for Youth Injunctions will be required to complete a risk assessment prior to application, which will include an assessment of both the victim’s and the respondent’s contextual vulnerabilities.
- Breach is not automatically a criminal offence – a power of arrest can only be attached where violence or significant risk of harm is present.
- The Youth Court approach prioritises rehabilitation and welfare alongside accountability.
What this means for victims:
The introduction of a mandatory risk assessment before a Youth Injunction application is made is an important improvement for victims. It means that agencies cannot simply pursue an order without first considering the vulnerability of the victim and the wider context of the behaviour.
For victims experiencing ASB from young people – which can be just as frightening and distressing as that from adults – this ensures their situation is properly assessed before formal action is taken, reducing the risk of cases being dismissed or minimised at the earliest stage. The retention of a youth-specific route also means that the welfare-focused approach to under 18s is preserved, which can lead to more sustainable behaviour change over time.
Housing Injunction
The Housing Injunction is drawn from the existing civil injunction framework but is now given its own distinct identity under the Act, applying specifically to ASB connected to housing.
What has changed:
- The Housing Injunction is now a named, distinct order specifically for housing-related ASB.
- It applies to adults aged 18 and over where the behaviour is connected to housing, for example, a tenant whose conduct is affecting neighbours or communal areas.
- It operates at a lower threshold than the Respect Order – covering nuisance or annoyance rather than the higher bar of harassment, alarm or distress.
- Housing providers can apply directly, without necessarily needing police involvement.
- A court dealing with a Housing Injunction application is able to grant a Respect Order instead if it deems it more appropriate – for example where the conduct meets the higher threshold of harassment, alarm or distress.
What this means for victims:
The Housing Injunction’s lower threshold is particularly important for victims who have been told their situation does not meet the bar for formal action. Nuisance and annoyance – the kinds of persistent, grinding behaviour that makes daily life miserable without necessarily ticking every box of a formal harassment definition – can now be addressed through a dedicated legal route. The fact that housing providers can apply directly also removes a common barrier: victims who have repeatedly reported to their housing officer but been told the police need to be involved first will no longer face that obstacle. Housing providers now have their own direct route to court.
Dispersal Powers
Dispersal powers allow the police to direct a person causing or likely to cause ASB to leave a specified area and not return for a set period.
What has changed:
- The maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions has been extended from 48 hours to 72 hours, with a mandatory review at 48 hours.
- This extension allows dispersal directions to apply over longer periods such as weekends and bank holidays, providing crucial respite to those affected by ASB.
What this means for victims:
This is a targeted but meaningful change. Under the old rules, a dispersal direction lasting 48 hours issued on a Friday afternoon would expire by Sunday morning – leaving victims exposed to the return of the perpetrator over the remainder of the weekend, when other agencies and services are often less available. The 72-hour extension addresses this directly, ensuring that respite for victims is not cut short simply because the behaviour happened to escalate at the start of a bank holiday weekend. The mandatory 48-hour review also provides a safeguard, ensuring the continued use of the direction is actively considered rather than simply running its course unchecked.
Fixed penalty charges
Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are issued for breaches of Community Protection Notices (CPNs) and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).
What has changed:
- The upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breaches of a Public Spaces Protection Order or a Community Protection Notice has been increased from £100 to £500.
- The Act also extends the powers available under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) to allow CSAS officers to issue fixed penalty notices for breach of CPNs and PSPOs.
- A new duty on the Home Secretary to issue guidance on the proportionate use of FPNs to address concerns about their misuse, particularly by external contractors.
What this means for victims:
A £100 fine was widely regarded as insufficient to deter persistent perpetrators – particularly those who had learned that the likelihood of enforcement was low. Increasing the upper limit to £500 sends a clearer message that breaching a community protection notice has real financial consequences. Equally important is the extension of issuing powers to CSAS officers, which means more frontline professionals can take action without waiting for police availability – a practical improvement for victims in areas where policing capacity is stretched.
Closure Powers
Closure powers allow agencies to quickly close premises that are causing or being used to cause nuisance or disorder.
What has changed:
- The timeframe for agencies to apply to a Magistrates’ Court for a closure order has been extended from 48 hours to 72 hours after service of a closure notice.
- The power to issue closure notices has been extended to registered social housing providers.
- Housing providers can now authorise 48-hour closure notices through a senior management team member without needing police or local authority involvement.
What this means for victims:
This is a significant practical improvement for victims living in social housing – which is where many of the ASB cases we encounter occur. Previously, a housing association that identified a property being used to cause serious nuisance had to wait for police or council involvement before any formal closure action could begin. That delay could mean days or weeks of continued harm for victims in the surrounding area. Housing providers can now act directly and swiftly, and the extended 72-hour window gives agencies more breathing room to prepare a robust closure order application without the victim being left unprotected in the interim.
Seizure of motor vehicles
The police have existing powers to seize vehicles being used anti-socially – including off-road bikes and vehicles involved in illegal racing or aggressive driving.
What has changed:
- The requirement for a police officer to issue a warning before seizing a motor vehicle being used to cause ASB has been removed.
- Police can now immediately seize vehicles being used in an anti-social manner without first needing to warn the individual.
- This applies to a wide range of vehicle-related ASB including off-road bike misuse, illegal racing, and aggressive or inconsiderate driving.
What this means for victims:
The previous requirement to warn a perpetrator before seizing their vehicle was widely criticised as giving offenders an opportunity to simply drive away and return later. Removing the warning requirement means police can act immediately and decisively when they witness ASB being committed using a vehicle – providing faster relief for victims in communities that are being plagued by this type of behaviour.
ASB Case Review – PCC oversight and Local Policing Body (LPB) Reviews
The ASB Case Review – the legal right that allows victims of persistent ASB to demand a multi-agency review of their case – has been strengthened by the Act in two important ways.
What has changed:
- A new duty has been created for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to promote awareness of the ASB Case Review in their police force area and provide a route for victims to query decisions via their office.
- A new Local Policing Body (LPB) Review mechanism has been introduced, sitting above the ASB Case Review as a formal escalation route.
- A person can request an LPB Review where either they applied for an ASB Case Review, but it was determined that the threshold was not met, or the person is dissatisfied with the way an ASB Case Review was carried out.
- PCCs are required to consult relevant agencies, including housing providers, when establishing LPB Review procedures.
What this means for victims:
The ASB Case Review has always been a powerful tool in theory, but in practice its implementation has been inconsistent in some areas. The new PCC duty to promote awareness addresses one of the most fundamental problems: many victims simply do not know the ASB Case Review exists. The LPB Review goes further still, giving victims who have been refused a Case Review – or who have been through one and found it inadequate – a formal, statutory escalation route for the first time.
Conclusion
It’s important to note, whilst the Crime and Policing Act 2026 has now received Royal Assent, many of its provisions, including the Respect Order, are not yet in force. The existing powers under the 2014 Act remain in place until the new provisions are commenced.
We will continue to liaise with victims and practitioners across England and Wales as these powers come into effect, monitoring their effectiveness. As with any change to legislation, we remain hopeful that they will result in positive outcomes for victims of anti-social behaviour.
Find the Crime and Policing Act 2026 factsheet here.