The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced new Respect Orders. The Home Office have now confirmed that they will officially launch across England and Wales on 26 October 2026.
Although the intention behind respect orders is to plug a “gap” in ASB powers, there are a lot of similarities between respect orders and existing injunction orders obtained under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. Some of these similarities can be summarised as follows:
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Respect orders will be available to ‘relevant authorities’, including the Police, Local Authorities and Registered Providers, but the ASB must directly or indirectly impact a registered provider’s housing management functions
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They will be dealt with in the County Court
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The burden of proof is the “balance of probabilities”
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The respect order can include positive requirements
A key difference with Respect Orders is that breach is a criminal offence. Enforcement therefore will be handled by the Police and CPS.
How respect orders will work in practice, especially around enforcement and, therefore, whether they are successful in doing what they have set out to remains to be seen.
Watch this space come October 2026! If you would like to discuss further, please get in touch with our housing management team.