{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026/section-21",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026/section-21.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2026/20",
  "legislation_title": "Crime and Policing Act 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026",
  "path": "section/21",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "21",
  "heading": "Content removal notices",
  "text": "(1) This section applies where an authorised officer is satisfied that content—\n(a) present on a relevant user-to-user service, or\n(b) which may be encountered in or via search results of a relevant search service,\nis unlawful weapons content in a relevant part of the United Kingdom.\n(2) The authorised officer may give a content removal notice to—\n(a) the provider of the relevant user-to-user service, or\n(b) the provider of the relevant search service.\n(3) If the authorised officer gives a content removal notice to a service provider in a case where the coordinating officer has the contact details of the provider’s content manager, the authorised officer may also give the notice to that manager.\n(4) A content removal notice is a notice requiring the service provider and (if applicable) the provider’s content manager (each a “recipient”) to secure that—\n(a) the content to which it relates is removed (see section 27(2)), and\n(b) confirmation of that fact is given to the authorised officer.\n(5) A content removal notice must—\n(a) identify the content to which it relates;\n(b) explain the authorised officer’s reasons for considering that the content is unlawful weapons content in the relevant part (or parts) of the United Kingdom;\n(c) explain that the notice must be complied with before the end of the period of 48 hours beginning with the time the notice is given;\n(d) explain that each recipient has the right to request a review of the decision to give the notice and how a request is to be made (see section 22);\n(e) set out the potential consequences of failure to comply with the notice;\n(f) contain the authorised officer’s contact details;\n(g) be in such form, and contain such further information, as the Secretary of State may by regulations prescribe.\n(6) The authorised officer may withdraw a content removal notice from a recipient by notifying the recipient to that effect (but withdrawal of a notice does not prevent a further content removal notice from being given under this section, whether or not in relation to the same content as the withdrawn notice).\n(7) In this section—\n“authorised officer” means—\n(a) a member of a relevant police force who is authorised for the purposes of this section by the chief officer of the force, or\n(b) a National Crime Agency officer who is authorised for the purposes of this section by the Director General of the National Crime Agency;\n“relevant part of the United Kingdom” means—\n(a) where the authorised officer is a member of a relevant police force in England and Wales, England and Wales;\n(b) where the authorised officer is a member of the Police Service of Scotland, Scotland;\n(c) where the authorised officer is a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland;\n(d) where the authorised officer is a member of the Ministry of Defence Police or a National Crime Agency officer, any part of the United Kingdom.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": "prospective",
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 21 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 255(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/21",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:58.060228+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}