Heading into Nottingham city centre wearing a balaclava with no legitimate reason? You could now be asked to take it off.
Nottingham has become one of the first cities in the UK to introduce new powers aimed at tackling the intimidating use of face coverings, following concerns from residents, shoppers and businesses about people concealing their identities in public.
The new restriction has been added to the city centre’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) and gives authorised officers the power to require someone to remove a face covering if they believe it’s being used to hide their identity while committing crime or anti-social behaviour, or if it’s being worn in a way that causes fear, harassment, alarm or distress.
The move comes after a public consultation in which more than 2,200 people shared their views. According to Nottingham City Council, more than 90 per cent backed the proposal.
But despite the headlines, this isn’t a blanket ban on face coverings.
The powers are designed to target people using balaclavas, skeleton masks and similar coverings to intimidate others or avoid identification, rather than those wearing them for genuine reasons. Exemptions will apply to people covering their faces for religious observance, medical needs, work requirements, personal safety or other legitimate circumstances.
Councillor Neghat Khan, leader of Nottingham City Council, said the authority was responding directly to concerns raised by the public.
“We have listened to people across Nottingham who have told us that they can feel intimidated when they see individuals wearing balaclavas, skeleton masks or other face coverings without a legitimate reason in our city centre,” she said.
“Our residents should be able to live, work and spend time in Nottingham without feeling frightened or unsafe.”
The council says the new powers are intended to give officers another tool to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime while maintaining protections for people who have a genuine reason to wear face coverings.
Councillor Matt Shannon, the council’s executive member for community protection, neighbourhoods and equalities, said the powers would be used on a case-by-case basis.
“This isn’t about targeting people who wear face coverings for religious, medical or any other legitimate reasons,” he said. “This is about targeting criminals who feel immune while wearing face coverings to intimidate Nottingham people.”
The restriction is expected to come into force in Nottingham city centre as part of the updated PSPO, making the city one of the first in the country to introduce a measure of its kind.
Nottingham says the new powers aren’t about policing what people wear. Instead, they’re aimed at tackling the small number of people using face coverings to intimidate others, while ensuring exemptions remain in place for anyone with a legitimate reason to cover their face.
