Read the status before the headline
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Its provisions have different territorial extents and commencement dates. An Act can be enacted while a section remains prospective, and a section can begin for only specified purposes. This guide covers the measures most relevant to this site, as legislation.gov.uk displayed them on 3 October 2026. It does not summarise the entire Act or provide legal advice about a case.
For any section, open its live page and read both the extent notation and commencement information. England and Wales often form one criminal-law jurisdiction; Northern Ireland and Scotland have separate laws. A measure amending the UK-wide Online Safety Act is not automatically the same thing as an England and Wales offence inserted into the Sexual Offences Act 2003. A news report about Royal Assent alone cannot answer which offence police could charge on a particular date.
Section 98: intimate-image changes are partial
Section 98 and Schedule 13 provide for new and amended England and Wales offences involving intimate photographs or films, including recording, copying certain temporarily shared images and other conduct. SI 2026/689 commenced section 98 on 29 June 2026 for specified purposes only. The legislation site does not show the entire package as fully in force on the date checked. A label such as ‘the 2026 recording offence’ therefore needs a precise paragraph and commencement check.
The explanatory notes say Schedule 13 would also replace the 2019 upskirting offence with a new recording provision. Because the relevant repeal and replacement are not shown as wholly commenced, do not assume the existing section 67A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has vanished. The voyeurism guide explains the operative framework and the prospective replacement. The digital-consent guide covers wider image offences.
Section 99: generator tools are an offence
Section 99 inserted section 66I into the Sexual Offences Act 2003, addressing the making or supplying of tools designed to create purported intimate images. It applies in England and Wales and commenced on 29 June 2026 under SI 2026/689. The statutory definitions and elements matter: the law is not a blanket ban on image editing. The CPS lists the new offence in its 29 June 2026 guidance on obscene publications.
The earlier offences concerning creating or requesting a purported intimate image of an adult were inserted by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and commenced on 6 February 2026 in England and Wales. They are distinct from section 99's tool offence. Whether a particular image, request or software supply meets an offence needs evidence and the relevant section. Scotland and Northern Ireland cannot simply be assigned the England and Wales section 66I offence.
Sections 100 and 101: qualifying reports and removal
Section 100 amended the UK-wide Online Safety Act 2023 to require regulated services to operate reporting and removal systems for defined intimate-image content. The provision says qualifying material should be taken down as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 48 hours after a qualifying report, subject to its statutory conditions. Section 101 makes consequential changes. Both commenced on 29 June 2026 under SI 2026/689.
This is a provider duty, not a personal criminal offence, a guarantee that every disputed upload qualifies, or a promise that all copies across the internet will disappear at once. The person affected can still report a post to the platform and use a specialist support route. The reporting guide explains practical steps and limits. Ofcom’s role in UK-wide online safety differs from a police investigation of the original sharing.
Sections 102 and 103: orders and a framework
Section 102 provides for image-deletion orders in England and Wales, but remained prospective on the date checked. Do not tell a person that they can already obtain this particular statutory order. Existing court or platform routes may be available on their own terms; a solicitor can advise. The Act’s text and later commencement regulations should be checked again before asserting a new procedure is operational.
Section 103 and Schedule 14 enable a UK-wide registration framework for non-consensual intimate-image material. Section 103 commenced on 29 June 2026. That is an enabling power; its commencement alone does not confirm that a registry is open, that a person's image has been registered or that every platform participates. The existing independent StopNCII service is a distinct hash-based tool, not proof of the statutory registry's operation.
Sections 104 and 105: image offences still prospective
Section 104 would insert a new section 67A into the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 for defined pornographic images of strangulation or suffocation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Section 105 makes the Scottish counterpart. Both were marked prospective on legislation.gov.uk on 3 October 2026. Their proposed possession/publication offences should not be described as already in force.
Existing extreme-pornography possession offences remain a separate question, as do operative offences involving physical conduct. Non-fatal strangulation is a medical emergency after any breathing restriction even without a visible mark; seek urgent care. A change in image law does not set a safe medical threshold or replace nation-specific assault and strangulation law.
Section 134: spiking offence has not commenced
Section 134 concerns unlawful administration of a harmful substance, including spiking, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was prospective when checked on 3 October 2026. Scotland's criminal law is separate. Existing offences may already apply to spiking conduct, but do not cite section 134 as an operative charge before commencement. The spiking guide explains immediate healthcare and reporting choices.
A person who feels suddenly unwell or suspects a substance was given without permission should seek safety and care, not wait for the new section. Police advice explains that forensic evidence can be time-sensitive and a negative test does not exclude every possibility. Call 999 for serious symptoms or immediate danger. Legal commencement is an important reporting detail, not a reason to delay practical support.
Common questions about the Act
Are all these measures in force because the Act received Royal Assent? No. Is the 48-hour duty UK-wide? It amends the UK-wide Online Safety Act, subject to service and report conditions. Is the generator-tool offence UK-wide? The inserted section 66I is an England and Wales offence. Is section 98 wholly operative? No, only specified purposes commenced on the date checked. Are sections 104, 105 or 134 already operational? They remained prospective.
Does a prospective section mean conduct is lawful? No; an existing offence may apply. Does section 103 guarantee a usable public registry? No. Where do I verify a later change? Read the live provision and commencement note on legislation.gov.uk, then official prosecutor or Ofcom guidance for the relevant legal system. Avoid relying on a screenshot of this dated page if a later commencement order has appeared.
UK help and individual advice
For image abuse, the Revenge Porn Helpline supports adults in the UK; UK help lists wider services. For spiking, seek healthcare and consider police reporting; call 999 in immediate danger. A solicitor in the relevant nation can advise about the provision applying to a specific allegation, date and location. Citizens Advice can help locate an advice route.
The glossary separates intimate-image offences, pornography literacy and digital consent from an Act’s commencement status.
The primary sources are the Act, commencement regulation, and each provision's live status note. The Home Office factsheets explain policy but do not override the commenced statute. This is legal information, not legal advice.