On 28 February 2021, the Home Office issued the Protect Duty Consultation which has the objective of making the public safer at publicly accessible locations. In spite of the fact that criminal law is a devolved responsibility, the proposals  are intended to apply to the whole of the UK, not just to England & Wales. This consultation is open to the public and is targeted at a number of groups who own or operate at publicly accessible locations or others that a ‘Protect Duty’ would potentially affect. A publicly accessible location is defined as any place to which the public or any section of the public has access, on payment or otherwise, as of right or by virtue of express or implied permission. The non-exhaustive list includes places of worship. Continue reading →