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Community safety
Householders and the use of force against intruders
In January this year, in response to public concern about the right of householders to defend themselves against intruders or burglars in the home, the Home Office considered whether there needed to be a change in the law on self defence. The Home Secretary consulted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and concluded that the law was sound and in favour of the householder. He concluded, however, that the law needed to be better explained.
Subsequently the CPS and ACPO jointly issued a leaflet explaining the law of self defence, and describing how the CPS and police would deal with such situations. The leaflet was distributed to police stations and CPS offices, as part of a campaign to ensure that as many people as possible understood the law and had confidence in its operation. The leaflet is available on the CPS website :
