Rejected petition: Introduce laws to restrict balaclavas and identity-concealing face coverings
Rejected on
Introduce legislation to restrict the wearing of balaclavas and other identity-concealing face coverings in public places, except for legitimate reasons, and give police powers to enforce these restrictions with fixed penalties for breaches.
We believe criminals increasingly use balaclavas and other face coverings to conceal their identity while committing offences and intimidating the public. We believe legislation restricting their use in public, with exemptions for legitimate reasons, would help deter crime, assist policing and improve public confidence. We believe there is no good reason to conceal your identity in public except for legitimate purposes such as religion, medical need, work, or severe weather.
Why was this petition rejected?
There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.
You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.
You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for similar action: "Ban face coverings in all public spaces to tackle anti-social behaviour" https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/774936
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.