Criminal Law

Jurisprudence is the study of law and the ideas behind it. It asks what law is, where its authority comes from and how it connects to justice and morality. The word comes from the Latin jurisprudentia, meaning knowledge of the law, and it also has a second, narrower meaning in practice: the body of decisions […]

Yes, but only some pocket knives, and only if they pass a strict two-part test. It is an offence to have any bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place without a good reason. The one exception is a folding pocket knife with a cutting edge of 3 inches or less, and a knife […]

Yes, in England and Wales most air guns and BB guns are legal to own without a licence, as long as they stay under the legal power limits and you follow the age and use rules. Scotland is different: you need an air weapon certificate from Police Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own, stricter firearms […]

Crossbows fall between sporting equipment and firearms in UK law. They are not firearms, they need no licence or registration, and yet the government announced in March 2026 that it intends to ban their sale and license existing owners. This article sets out what the law requires today and what is planned. The Crossbows Act […]

Not in the way the question implies. Sections 30 and 31 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 give police a power to seize a legally held knife they suspect will be used in unlawful violence, but that power doesn’t let them force their way into a home to look for one. It only applies […]

Not yet, though the law to make it one already exists. Sections 45 and 46 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 create a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker, but as of the date below, those sections haven’t been switched on. The offence exists on paper, written into an Act that received Royal […]

Tasers and stun guns get lumped together in most guides on this topic, and the underlying law does treat them the same way in most respects. Where they diverge, in the specific case of a device disguised as something else, is a distinction worth getting right, since it changes the sentencing exposure considerably. A taser […]

Poppers are widely sold in the UK, in shops, at festivals and online, usually labelled as room aromas, leather cleaners or nail varnish removers rather than as a drug. That labelling isn’t just marketing. It reflects a genuine, unresolved gap in how the law treats them. Poppers sit in a category the law was never […]

Pepper spray, sometimes sold as OC spray, CS spray or mace, is not something you can lawfully carry in the UK under any circumstances. The law treats it as a prohibited firearm rather than a self-defence product, and that classification carries real consequences if you’re stopped with one. Carrying pepper spray “just in case” is […]

An MS90 driving offence is the DVLA endorsement code for failing to provide driver details when the police ask for them under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. It isn’t a driving offence in the traditional sense. It is a separate offence for not confirming who was driving, and it often results in […]