A Bill to amend the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 powers in relation to illegal raves
This Bill would strengthen the powers of the police to deal with raves. Currently, police can direct people to leave a rave, stop people on their way to one, and seize vehicles and sound equipment. The current provisions apply to gatherings of 20 or more where amplified music is played at night which ‘by reason of its loudness and duration and the time at which it is played is likely to cause serious distress to the inhabitants of the locality.’ This could be outdoors or, where people are trespassing, indoors.The Bill would: amend the current legislation so that the powers would apply to music likely to cause distress by its loudness or its duration or the time at which it is played, rather than all three factors having to be taken into account create new offences of organising a rave and transporting equipment for one widen police powers to seize sound equipment and the powers of the court to forfeit it.
House of Commons
30 October 2008
This Bill would give police greater powers to tackle illegal raves. It expands when music can be treated as causing distress (by loudness, duration, or timing), creates new offences for organising a rave and for transporting equipment, and widens powers to seize sound equipment with court forfeiture. It covers both outdoor events and indoor trespass cases.
The Bill is currently at the second reading in the House of Commons and has not yet progressed to Committee stage.
Generated 21 February 2026
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
