Part 1: Public Order Section 15: Processions, assemblies and one-person protests: delegation of functions
Sections 12, 14 and 14ZA of the 1986 Act enable a chief officer of police to impose conditions on upcoming public processions, assemblies and one-person protests where certain conditions are met. Where a chief officer of police believes that their powers in section 12 will be insufficient to prevent a public procession from causing serious public disorder, they can apply to the local council (or the Secretary of State for the Metropolitan and City of London Police forces) to prohibit processions in part of or all their district for a maximum of three months under section 13 of the 1986 Act. Section 14A provides a similar power to section 13 in relation to trespassory assemblies. Section 15 enables a chief constable for a force outside London to delegate their functions under sections 12 to 14A to an Assistant Chief Constable. In contrast, in London the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or City of London Police Commissioner can only delegate these functions to an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner (equivalent to a chief constable in other forces). This section substitutes a new subsection (2) of section 15 of the 1986 Act so that in London the functions can be delegated to an officer of the rank of Commander (or above), which is equivalent to Assistant Chief Constables outside of London. This is necessary to relieve Assistant Commissioners of the heavy burden of attending court to provide firsthand evidence whenever the lawfulness of a condition attached to a protest is contested.