# The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2026, Note: Explanatory note


(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations bring into force specified provisions of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 (c. 20) (“the Act”). These are the fourth commencement regulations made under the Act.
Regulation 2 brings a number of provisions into force on 6th November 2026. These provisions relate to offences concerning the possession and publication of specified kinds of pornography, and child abduction, in England and Wales.
Regulation 3 brings section 242 of the Act into force on 16th November 2026. Section 242 makes provision for pardons and the deletion of relevant details in criminal records of women convicted of, cautioned for, arrested for, or investigated on suspicion of, an offence under the law related to abortion, where they were acting in relation to their own pregnancy.
An impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory instrument as impact assessments were produced in relation to the Act. Copies can be obtained from the Ministry of Justice at 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ, or from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crime-and-policing-act-2026-impact-assessments.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1090/note (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026-commencement-no-4-regulations-2026/note
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.