£1,000 Fine Shock: Balaclava-Wearing Offenders Face Major UK Crackdown Under New Plans
BALACLAVA-CLAD yobs face being slapped with £1,000 fines in one UK city as cops look to crackdown on masked louts running riot.
Nottingham City Council has launched a public consultation – which ends on Friday – on whether to ban face coverings in the city centre – following a rise in crime and cops looking to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Nottingham City Council is considering banning balaclavasCredit: SWNS
Four young people in masks carrying machetes in Nottingham city centre last NovemberCredit: Nottingham Police
Under the new proposals, cops would be able to remove coverings if they “reasonably believe” they are being used to conceal a person’s identity to commit crime or antisocial behaviour.
Offenders who refuse to comply could be fined £70 on the spot or face prosecution – with a maximum penalty of £1,000.
It comes as masked thugs were caught on CCTV last November at a Winter Wonderland.
Balaclava-clad youths were seen brandishing machetes, terrorising shoppers as they darted around Old Market Square on e-bikes, before apparently confronting another gang.
The group allegedly confronted another gang outside the Council HouseCredit: Nottingham Police
Masked youths clamber onto the roof of a former Debenhams in NottinghamCredit: Nottinghamshire Police
Another incident, days earlier, saw a group of young children wearing balaclavas, who were 10 to 12 years old, were spotted on the roof of a former Debenhams building in the city and detained by police.
If approved, Nottingham will become the largest city in the UK to outlaw balaclavas, with the restriction, if approved, to come in from next month.
It would be added to the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which came into effect on July 27.
Wolverhampton has been using public space protection orders that allow police officers to ask people to take off face coverings since 2024.
It comes after Nottinghamshire Police launched Operation View in May, targeting antisocial youth behaviour.
Local cops have drawn up a watchlist of 29 young people known to regularly cause trouble – with offenders being tracked by CCTV, as well as uniformed and plain clothes officers.
The restriction would not introduce a blanket ban on face coverings. The restriction would not apply where they are worn for legitimate reasons, including religious, cultural, health, work, weather or personal safety reasons.
Evidence gathered by Nottinghamshire Police and the council identified more than 180 city centre incidents involving face coverings or balaclavas between June 2025 and June 2026.
Around 75 per cent of the incidents analysed took place in locations such as Old Market Square, Clumber Street and the area around the Victoria Centre.
Since May, more than 450 arrests have been made in relation to antisocial behaviour, shop theft, drug dealing, knife offences and other serious crimes in the city.
City Commander Superintendent Chris Pearson, from Nottinghamshire Police said: “Young people are wearing balaclavas for one reason and one reason alone – to conceal their identity.
“There is absolutely no justified reason to be wearing balaclavas during the summer we’ve had.
“We know that a vast majority of those young people wearing balaclavas are involved in anti-social behaviour and other criminality including drug dealing.
“We will not hesitate as a police force to confiscate their balaclavas if they are found to be involved in crime.
“This is part of our dedicated anti-social behaviour operation in the city centre. We now have 29 young people on our watchlist who are causing the most harm to our city.
“We will use all the powers at our disposal to make life as difficult as possible for them to enter the city centre and cause problems, including taking them home to their parents or guardians.
“We are fully supportive of the balaclava ban in Nottingham city centre which will provide us with greater powers to deal with the issue.
“We want the public to visit and enjoy the city centre without a minority making them feel intimidated and uncomfortable and we look forward to hearing the public’s thoughts as part of this council-run consultation.”
Councillor Matt Shannon, Nottingham City Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Waste and Equalities, said: “We want everyone to feel safe and confident when visiting Nottingham city centre.
“Residents and businesses raised clear concerns about face coverings during our previous consultation, particularly when they are used to conceal someone’s identity while they are involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour.
“Evidence from the police and our CCTV team has also shown that this is a recurring issue.
“This proposal is not a blanket ban and would not affect anyone wearing a face covering for a legitimate reason. It is intended to give authorised officers a targeted and proportionate way to intervene when a covering is being used in connection with intimidation, anti-social behaviour or crime.
“No final decision has been made, and we want to hear from residents, businesses, young people and everyone who uses the city centre before the proposal is considered further.”
