{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-order-act-2023/section-17",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-order-act-2023/section-17.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2023/15",
  "legislation_title": "Public Order Act 2023",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-order-act-2023",
  "path": "section/17",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "17",
  "heading": "Exercise of police powers in relation to journalists etc",
  "text": "(1) A constable may not exercise a police power for the sole purpose of preventing a person from observing or reporting on a protest.\n(2) A constable may not exercise a police power for the sole purpose of preventing a person from observing or reporting on the exercise of a police power in relation to—\n(a) a protest-related offence,\n(b) a protest-related breach of an injunction, or\n(c) activities related to a protest.\n(3) This section does not affect the exercise by a constable of a police power for any purpose for which it may be exercised apart from this section.\n(4) In this section—\n“injunction” means an injunction granted by the High Court, the county court or a youth court;\n“police power” means a power which is conferred on a constable by or by virtue of an enactment or by a rule of law;\n“protest-related breach”, in relation to an injunction, means a breach which is directly related to a protest;\n“protest-related offence” means an offence which is directly related to a protest.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 17 in force at 2.7.2023 by S.I. 2023/733, reg. 2(e)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/15/section/17",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T08:53:10.834893+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."
}