The Public Order Act 1986 (c 64) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936. It implements recommendations of the Law Commission. Background Before the introduction of the Public Order Act 1986, policing public order was based on various relevant common law offences, and the Public Order Act 1936. Several factors influenced the introduction of the Public Order Act 1986. Significant public disorder, such as the Southall riot in 1979, the Brixton riot that extended to other cities in 1981, and the national miner's strike and associated disorder between 1984 and 1985 – in particular the Battle of Orgreave in June 1984 – and the Battle of the Beanfield in June 1985. Furthermore, the 1983 Law Commission report, Criminal Law: Offences Relating to Public Order recommended updating the law. The Law Commission stated its desire to further to extend the codification of the law in England and Wales. It advocated the abolition of the common law offences of affray, riot, rout, and unlawful assembly. It argued the changes it recommended to public order legislation made it more practical to use, and make the law more comprehensible to the courts and juries. The long title of the Act details the intention of the Public Order Act 1986: Offences Part 1 – New offences Section 1 – Riot Section 2 – Violent disorder Section 3 – Affray Section 4 – Fear or provocation of violence Section 4A – Intentional harassment, alarm or distress added by section 154 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Section 5 – Harassment, alarm or distress Section 8 – Interpretation This section defines the words "dwelling" and "violence". Section 9 – Offences abolished Section 9(1) abolished the common law offences of riot, rout, unlawful assembly and affray. Section 9(2) abolished the offences under: section 1 of the Tumultuous Petitioning Act 1661 section 1 of the Shipping Offences Act 1793 section 23 of the Seditious Meetings Act 1817 section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936 Part 2 – Processions and assemblies Section 11 – Advance notice of public processions requires at least six clear days' written notice to be given to the police before most public processions, including details of the intended time and route, and giving the name and address