Self-Defence, Reasonable Force and Staying Safe

A person may use reasonable force to protect themselves or others, to prevent crime, or to protect property, when a crime is happening in their home. GOV.UK guidance and section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 set out the position.

• You do not necessarily have to wait to be attacked before defending yourself.
• The law recognises that householders may act instinctively in a frightening, fast-moving situation, and that they cannot be expected to weigh the exact amount of force needed.
• There are special rules for “householder cases” — broadly, where a person uses force against an intruder in or partly in a dwelling, while not a trespasser themselves. In those cases the statutory test is stricter in the householder’s favour: force that is grossly disproportionate is not reasonable, while in other (non-householder) cases force that is simply disproportionate is not reasonable. Being within that householder provision does not automatically make force lawful — the force must still be reasonable in the circumstances as the person believed them to be.
• Pre-planned traps, lying in wait, revenge, and continuing to use force once the danger has clearly ended are not protected.
• Chasing somebody down the street after they are no longer a threat changes the legal position, and can put you in danger and at risk of prosecution.
• Property can be replaced. A life cannot.

Read the current official wording on GOV.UK: Using reasonable force against intruders and in section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

Scotland has its own criminal law. Self-defence in Scotland is a common-law defence and is not governed by the England-and-Wales statutory householder provisions. Do not apply English householder terminology in Scotland.

Broadly, and stated carefully, the Scots-law defence has generally been described as requiring:

• An imminent danger to life or of serious harm (or, in some circumstances, to another person).
• That there was no reasonable means of escape or of avoiding the danger — retreat has a more explicit place in Scots law than in England and Wales.
• That the force used was not cruelly excessive; a rough, immediate reaction is treated differently from a calculated or continuing one.

How these principles are applied is a matter for the courts on the facts of each case, and prosecution decisions are taken by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. If you are involved in an incident in Scotland, get advice from a Scottish solicitor and check current Scottish sources — the Judiciary of Scotland publications (including the Jury Manual), the COPFS Prosecution Code and Police Scotland.

Northern Ireland has its own legislation and prosecution service. Force in the prevention of crime is addressed by section 3 of the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, alongside the common law of self-defence. Do not assume that the England-and-Wales statutory householder provisions in section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 apply here; that section is an England-and-Wales provision.

• Force must be reasonable in the circumstances as the person believed them to be.
• Revenge, punishment and continuing force after danger has ended are not protected.
• Prosecution decisions are taken by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.

Check current Northern Ireland sources — nidirect: Personal safety, PSNI safety and support and the Public Prosecution Service — and take advice from a Northern Ireland solicitor.

A reputable class may improve confidence, awareness, fitness, balance and calm decision-making. It can also be sociable and enjoyable.

• No class can guarantee safety, and nobody should be told otherwise.
• Good teaching prioritises awareness, de-escalation and escape, not confrontation.
• Avoid instructors who glorify violence, promise guaranteed results, encourage carrying weapons or teach anything unlawful.
• Check safeguarding policies, qualifications, insurance, first-aid arrangements, accessibility, costs and whether the class suits your age and fitness.
• People with disabilities, chronic pain, pregnancy or medical conditions may need adapted teaching, and should take medical advice before starting.

This page does not reproduce any specific techniques.

• Keep messages, voicemails, dates, times and short factual notes of each incident — but only where doing so does not put you at greater risk.
• Do not arrange a private meeting or confrontation to “sort it out.”
• Tell the police about escalation, weapons, threats, following, property damage, or any breach of an order or bail condition.
• Call 999 when danger is immediate.
• Use 101, or your force’s online reporting route, for non-emergency incidents.
• Ask about specialist stalking support and safety planning, including through the National Stalking Helpline.

Never gather evidence in a way that puts you in the same place as the person threatening you. Your safety comes before the case.

• Get to safety first. Call 999 if you are in immediate danger.
• Report it to the police, or through True Vision, or through a third-party reporting centre if you would rather not go directly to the police.
• Preserve messages, photographs and witness details where it is safe to do so.
• Ask for specialist support — many charities support people targeted for race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
• Tell the venue, transport operator, employer, school or landlord as well, so they can act.

You are never required to physically confront racist, religious, homophobic, transphobic or disability-related abuse. Reporting is not weakness; it creates a record and can protect other people.

Nobody is responsible for being attacked, and disabled people are not helpless. These are simply practical options that some people find useful.

• Plan accessible routes, step-free exits and places where staff are present.
• Keep a communication card or emergency information card where you can reach it.
• Set up the emergency SOS and medical-ID features on your phone, and add emergency contacts.
• Ask venues in advance about accessible safe spaces and how to alert staff.
• Carry prescribed medicines and keep essential mobility equipment with you.
• Ask police and health services for communication support, an interpreter or extra time.
• Tell a solicitor about sensory needs, communication differences, learning disability or anything that affects how you explain events.
• Use official accessible emergency routes where they apply to you: the registered text 999 service, 999 BSL video relay, or Relay UK.

• You never have to open the door. Use a chain or bar, a spyhole or a video doorbell.
• Ask for identification, close the door while you check it, and telephone the organisation using a number you already have — not a number the caller gives you.
• Genuine callers will always wait, and will not mind being checked.
• Beware of distraction tactics: two callers, urgency, a “leak next door,” or a request to come round the back.
• Do not physically challenge an intruder. Get to a room you can secure, and call 999.
• A personal alarm, a bedside phone and good outside lighting are all simple and effective.
• Arrange a check-in with a trusted neighbour, relative or a local Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

Related pages: Scams, Fraud and Suspicious Messages and Urgent Home Repairs and Trusted Tradespeople.

• Follow your employer’s lone-working procedure, check-in system and escalation route.
• Know where panic alarms are and how personal alarms or apps are used in your service.
• Leave an unsafe situation. Ending a visit or appointment early is a legitimate decision.
• Report threats, abuse and near-misses every time, even when nothing happened.
• Employers must assess the risk of violence and put reasonable measures in place; the Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance for workplaces.
• Record incidents properly, and ask for support, debriefing and occupational-health help afterwards.

Follow your own training and workplace procedures. This page does not give restraint instructions to untrained workers, because restraint carries real risk of harm.

Responsibility for an assault always belongs to the person committing it. Nothing here suggests otherwise. These are simply things that can help.

• Stay near staff, the driver or other passengers.
• Move carriage or change seat, and get off at a staffed, well-lit station if you feel unsafe.
• Use station help points and on-board alarms — that is what they are for.
• Tell venue security, bar staff or transport staff early rather than late.
• Do not follow anybody into an isolated area, and do not go outside to “talk about it.”
• Call 999 if you are in immediate danger; text 61016 to British Transport Police where that applies.
• Report incidents afterwards, even if you got away safely.

See also Public Transport: Accessible Travel and Support.

• Ask for a solicitor. Say it clearly and early.
• Legal advice at a police station is normally free, whatever your income.
• Do not rely on this webpage as legal advice; it is general information only.
• Tell the police and your solicitor about injuries, disability, communication requirements, medication, mental-health needs or anything that makes you vulnerable.
• A child or a vulnerable adult may need an appropriate adult present; the arrangements differ across the UK nations.
• Tell your solicitor honestly what you believed was happening, what danger you perceived, what you did, and what happened afterwards.
• Do not delete evidence, and never ask anyone to change their account. That is a separate offence.

This page does not advise anyone what to say in order to avoid prosecution. Its purpose is to make sure people know they can, and should, get proper legal representation.

• Record dates, names, reference numbers and exactly what you reported.
• Explain clearly what has escalated and why you believe you are at risk now.
• Ask how to provide further evidence, and who is reviewing the case.
• Request reasonable adjustments for disability, communication or language needs.
• Ask a specialist victim-support or advocacy service to help you put it in writing.
• Use the police-complaints process for your nation where necessary: the IOPC in England and Wales, the PIRC in Scotland, or the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland.
• Call 999 if the situation becomes an emergency at any point.

Our Free Letter and Complaint Support can help you set out a clear, factual complaint or follow-up letter.

• Trusted contacts who know where you are going and when you expect to arrive.
• Safe places along your usual routes: staffed shops, stations, pharmacies, a neighbour’s house.
• Travel alternatives, including a route you can take if the usual one feels unsafe.
• Emergency numbers saved and memorised where possible.
• Medication, accessibility and mobility needs planned for.
• School, college or workplace contacts who know about the risk.
• A code word or phrase with trusted people that means “call the police” or “come and get me.”
• Phone emergency features set up: SOS, medical ID, location sharing with someone you trust.
• What to do if you are followed: change direction, go into a busy staffed place, call 999, and do not go home while being followed.
• Arrangements for children and pets, which matter enormously where domestic abuse is involved.

A safety plan cannot guarantee safety. Where risk is ongoing, work through it with a specialist service such as a domestic-abuse, stalking or victim-support organisation, who can tailor it to your situation.