Offensive Weapons Act 2019

Notification requirements

24 Notification requirements

(1) Subsection (2) applies if—

(a) a knife crime prevention order is made in respect of a defendant (other than an order which replaces an interim knife crime prevention order), or

(b) an interim knife crime prevention order is made in respect of a defendant.

(2) The defendant must notify the information mentioned in subsection (3) to the police within the period of 3 days beginning with the day on which the order takes effect.

(3) That information is—

(a) the defendant’s name on the day on which the notification is given and, where the defendant uses one or more other names on that day, each of those names, and

(b) the defendant’s home address on that day.

(4) Subsection (5) applies to a defendant who is subject to—

(a) a knife crime prevention order, or

(b) an interim knife crime prevention order.

(5) The defendant must notify the information mentioned in subsection (6) to the police within the period of 3 days beginning with the day on which the defendant—

(a) uses a name which has not previously been notified to the police under subsection (2) or this paragraph,

(b) changes their home address, or

(c) decides to live for a period of one month or more at any premises the address of which has not been notified to the police under subsection (2) or this paragraph.

(6) That information is—

(a) in a case within subsection (5)(a), the name which has not previously been notified;

(b) in a case within subsection (5)(b), the new home address;

(c) in a case within subsection (5)(c), the address at which the defendant has decided to live.

(7) A defendant gives a notification under subsection (2) or (5) by—

(a) attending at a police station in a police area in which the defendant lives, and

(b) giving an oral notification to a police officer, or to any person authorised for the purpose by the officer in charge of the station.

25 Offences relating to notification

(1) A person commits an offence if the person—

(a) fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with section 24(2) or (5), or

(b) notifies to the police, in purported compliance with section 24(2) or (5), any information which the person knows to be false.

(2) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) is liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, to a fine or to both;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, to a fine or to both.

(3) In relation to an offence committed before the coming into force of section 154(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (maximum sentence that may be imposed on summary conviction of offence triable either way) the reference in section (2)(a) to 12 months is to be read as a reference to 6 months.

(4) A person commits an offence under subsection (1)(a) on the day on which the person first fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with section 24(2) or (5).

(5) The person continues to commit the offence throughout any period during which the failure continues.

(6) But the person may not be prosecuted more than once in respect of the same offence.

(7) Proceedings for an offence under this section may be commenced in any court having jurisdiction in any place where the person charged with the offence lives or is found.