Statutory guidance

Offensive weapons homicide reviews

What organisations must do when carrying out an offensive weapon homicide review.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Offensive weapons homicide reviews: statutory guidance

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Offensive weapons homicide reviews: statutory guidance (print-ready PDF)

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Offensive weapons homicide reviews: statutory guidance (large print)

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Adolygiadau Lladd gydag Arfau Ymosodol: canllaw statudol

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced a requirement on the police and local authorities in England and Wales and integrated care boards in England and local health boards in Wales, to review the circumstances of certain homicides where:

  • the victim was aged 18 or over
  • the events surrounding their death involved, or were likely to have involved, the use of an offensive weapon

The purpose of these reviews is to ensure that when a qualifying homicide takes place, local partners:

  • identify the lessons to be learnt from the death
  • consider whether any action should be taken as a result
  • share the outcome

The intention is that these reviews will improve the national and local understanding of what causes homicide and serious violence, better equipping services to prevent weapons-enabled homicides.

The reviews are being piloted in certain areas of London and the West Midlands, and in South Wales.

Updates to this page

Published 29 March 2023
Last updated 29 April 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added document: 'New member of the offensive weapons homicide review oversight board appointed'.

  2. 'Chair and first member of the OWHR Oversight Board appointed': added further biographical information about Dale Simon.

  3. Added document: Chair and first member of the OWHR Oversight Board appointed.

  4. Added accessible HTML version of the Welsh translation.

  5. Welsh translation of the statutory guidance has been added.

  6. Updated the PDF versions of the statutory guidance so the forms can be filled in digitally. Added large print version of the statutory guidance.

  7. Added 'Privacy information notice - piloting of offensive weapons homicide reviews'.

  8. First published.

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