Offensive Weapons Act 2019: draft statutory guidance
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Download the full outcome
Detail of outcome
The government published draft statutory guidance for consultation on 15 August 2019 which related to the sale and delivery of corrosive products, possession of corrosive substances in public, sale and delivery of knives, possession of certain offensive weapons, threatening with offensive weapons and enforcement as provided for by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.
We received 76 separate responses from a variety of organisations and individuals.
The government would like to thank all those who responded and contributed to the development of the guidance. Following detailed consideration of the responses, the government’s final draft of the guidance on the provisions within the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 is published alongside the consultation response.
It has been published as final draft guidance because it can only be published as statutory guidance once section 66 of the 2019 Act is commenced. At that point the guidance will be reissued as statutory guidance.
Original consultation
Consultation description
The statutory guidance sets out how the legislation should be implemented and applied, the obligations imposed under the act, and what factors should be taken into account when making decisions on how to proceed with individual cases of the possession, sale and delivery of knives, corrosives and offensive weapons, and the use of these to threaten others.
The guidance is primarily for the police, retailers and trading standards. However, it will also be of interest to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, manufacturers and suppliers of bladed articles, bladed products and corrosives, and members of the public.
The Offensive Weapons Act, which received Royal Assent on 16 May 2019, requires the Secretary of State to produce statutory guidance which covers the implementation of certain measures within the act in England and Wales. It also covers the implementation of sections 1 to 4 of the act, in respect of the sale and delivery of corrosive products, in Scotland.
Documents
Last updated 26 July 2022 + show all updates
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Added accessible version for Offensive Weapons Act 2019: statutory guidance – draft for consultation.
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Added accessible Welsh translation of government response to the consultation on Offensive Weapons Act 2019: draft statutory guidance.
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Government response to the consultation on Offensive Weapons Act 2019: draft statutory guidance - Welsh version added (pdf).
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First published.