Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a clear and legally precise definition of the term “cumulative disruption” as used in Lords committee stage amendment 372 to the Crime and Policing Bill; and how they will ensure that this concept is applied consistently by police forces and the courts.

On 5 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced that the government would amend sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to explicitly require a senior police officer to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas when considering whether to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.

This measure is designed to require the police to consider whether public processions and assemblies have or will take place in the same geographical area when considering whether the serious disruption to the life of the community threshold is met. ‘Relevant cumulative disruption’ is defined in the clause.

The Home Office will work with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council to include guidance on cumulative disruption in the Public Order Public Safety Authorised Professional Practice, and the Protest Operational Advice Document. These contain operational advice for frontline policing and are regularly updated to include all public order powers.