(2) how many penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) have been issued to 10 to 15-year-olds in each of the six pilot police force areas in respect of (a) behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others or using threatening words or behaviour, (b) drunk and disorderly behaviour in a public place, (c) destroying or damaging property up to the value of £500, (d) retail theft under £200, (e) sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age, (f) selling alcohol to a drunken person, (g) breach of a fireworks curfew, (h) being drunk in a highway or consuming alcohol in a designated place and (i) other offences; and how many such PNDs were (i) paid within 21 days, (ii) contested in court and (iii) registered as fines against the parent of the recipient.
The evaluation of the pilots is currently under way. The final evaluation report will contain full details about the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued during the pilots. No decisions about extending the pilot areas will be taken until the results of the evaluation have been considered.
The Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not hold information on the proportion of people who, having received a penalty notice for disorder, committed a further offence within a period of 12 months. Data are not collected to that level of detail.
The penalty notice for disorder (PND) Scheme was set up under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Under the scheme, the police may issue a fixed penalty notice of either £50 or £80 for a range of minor disorder offences. Details of PND recipients are initially recorded on a database kept by the Central Ticket Office of an individual police force. Each force is responsible for maintaining their own local database; there is currently no national system for recording PNDs. However the Government do intend to establish a single national penalty notice processing system for all PNDs and road traffic tickets by September 2009.
Where the PND is issued for a recordable offence, a record of the offender is also created on the Police National Computer (PNC) within 24 hours and updated within seven days: the PNC is available to officers 24 hours a day. Repeat offenders should be identified using PNC if they have committed recordable offences. For all other offences, while the current local database could also be interrogated to check if a PND has already been issued, it is normally only available during office hours and to those officers local to the force.
A list of all PND offences is given in Table one, showing which are recordable.
PND offence code CCCJS code Act Description Notifiable/recordable Upper Tier £80 DA01 CL67008 s 5, Criminal Law Act 1967 Causing wasteful use of police time/wasting police time, Giving false report Recordable DA021 CA03007 s 127(2) of the Communications Act 2003 Send false message/persistently use a public electronic communications network in order to cause annoyance inconvenience or needless anxiety Recordable DA032 FS04009 s 49 of the Fire and Rescue Services At 2004 Knowingly give a false alarm to a person acting on behalf of a fire and rescue authority Recordable DA043 PU86107 s 5, Public Order Act 1986 Use words/conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress Notifiable and recordable DA05 EP75005 s 80, Explosives Act 1875 Fire/throw firework(s) Non-recordable DA06 CJ67002 s 91, Criminal Justice Act 1967 Drunk and disorderly in a public place Recordable DA07 — — — — DA08 — — — — DA09 — — — — DA10 — — — — DA114 CD71040 s1(1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 Destroying or damaging property (under £500) Notifiable and recordable DA124 TH68010 s1 of the Theft Act 1968 Theft (retail under £200) Notifiable and recordable DA135 FW04003 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Breach of fireworks curfew (11pm-7am) Recordable DA145 FW04002 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Possession of a category 4 firework Recordable DA155 FW04001 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework Recordable DA166 LG03036 Section 141 of the Licensing Act 2003 (c.17)7 Sells or attempts to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk Recordable (1 December 2005) DA17 LG03067 s 146(3) of the Licensing Act 20037 Supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to a person aged under 18 Recordable (1 December 2005) DA184 LG03064 s 146(1) of the Licensing Act 20037 Sale of alcohol anywhere to a person under 18 Recordable (1 December 2005) DA194 LG03081 s 149(3) of the licensing Act 20037 Buys or attempts to buy alcohol on behalf of person under 18 Recordable (1 December 2005) DA20 LG03083 s 149(4) of the licensing Act 20037 Buys or attempts to buy alcohol for consumption on relevant premises by person under 18 Recordable (1 December 2005) DA214 LG03088 s 151 of the licensing Act 20037 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery Recordable (1 December 2005) Lower Tier £50 DB01 — — — — DB02 — — — — DB03 BT49005 s 55, British Transport Commission Act 1949 Trespass on a railway Non-recordable DB04 BT49006 s 56, British Transport Commission Act 1949 Throwing stones/matter/thing at a train Non-recordable DB05 LG72008 s 12, Licensing Act 1872 Drunk in highway Recordable DB06 — — — — DB07 CJ01002 s 12, Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 Consume alcohol in designated public place, contrary to requirement by constable not to do so. Non-recordable DB084 EP90046 s 87(1) and (5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Depositing and leave litter Non-recordable DB09 — — — — DB10 — — — — DB11 — — — — DB124 LG03085 s 150(1) of the Licensing Act 20037 Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises Recordable (1 December 2005) DB134 LG03086 s 150(2) of the Licensing Act 20037 Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises Recordable (1 December 2005) DB146 LG03079 Section 149(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (c. 17)7 Buying or attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18 Recordable (1 December 2005) 1 Offence repealed by Communications Act 2003 with effect from 5 March 2004. 2 Offence repealed by Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 with effect from 1 October 2004. 3 Offence added with effect from 8 August 2002. 4 Offence added with effect from 1 November 2004. 5 Offence added with effect from 11 October 2004. 6 Offence added with effect from 4 April 2005. 7 New legislative reference with effect from 2 November 2005 on implementation of Licensing Act 2003.