Serious Violence Reduction Orders

On 8 August 2024, in the Crown Court at Liverpool, two men were sentenced to imprisonment for offences connected to recent public disorder.

John O' Malley (age 43) and William Nelson-Morgan (age 69) each received 32 months for separate offences of violent disorder (Public Order Act 1986 s.2). 

Nelson-Morgan also received a concurrent sentence of 6 months for possession of an offensive weapon and also a serious violence reduction order (SVRO) which will take effect on his release from custody and will last for 2 years.

The sentencing remarks

of His Honour Judge Menary KC are at R -v- O'Malley and another - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Serious Violence Reduction Orders were introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 s165 which added section 342A to the Sentencing Code contained in the Sentencing Act 2020.

Currently, SVRO are being piloted across Merseyside, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Midlands over a two-year period. Following the pilot, SVROs will be independently evaluated before consideration is given to whether SVROs are rolled out nationally. 

SVROs can only be applied for in pilot Areas; however, an officer from any police force, including British Transport Police, may exercise the power granted by the SVRO, and breach of a SVRO can be committed and prosecuted anywhere in England and Wales. 

Courts (in the pilot areas) can make Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) in respect of offenders aged 18 or over who are convicted of offences where a knife or offensive weapon was used or was present. The police will have stop and search powers to target those subject to the orders.

Serious Violence Reduction Orders: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 factsheet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Offensive Weapons, Knives, Bladed and Pointed Articles | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)