Newport, Coventry, Stafford and Wolverhampton weigh balaclava curbs after Nottingham's rules

Mixed · 2Officials in Newport, Coventry, Stafford and Wolverhampton are exploring ways to strengthen existing powers to challenge people wearing balaclavas, while Nottingham has already introduced restrictions. 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC says the hashtag "no face no case" has been gaining traction by glorifying balaclavas as a way to avoid prosecution, and that police across the UK say face coverings hamper efforts to identify potential offenders. 1 Mixed · 2In Newport, councillor Matthew Evans, one of two councillors who proposed a ban, said people wore intimidating face coverings to "rob, burgle and deal drugs in our city centre" and avoid detection; he proposed exemptions for religious reasons and said it was not an "attack on the human rights of young people". Councillor David Fouweather said incidents had left residents feeling intimidated. 1 2

Mixed · 2Newport council said its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is due for review and could potentially include face coverings, subject to practical implications and legalities, with exemptions for religious, cultural, medical, occupational, weather or personal safety reasons. 1 2 Mixed · 2Jeweller Annette Farmer told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast she was "devastated" to move her business online after two burglaries and a shoplifting incident involving people in balaclavas between June and August, after almost 40 years in Newport city centre. 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC reports that a recent joint police and council crackdown in Newport, Operation Krypton, has led to 321 arrests since July, according to Gwent Police's Supt Esyr Jones. 1

Mixed · 2In Nottingham, police can ask people to remove a face covering if they reasonably believe it is being used to conceal identity to commit crime or antisocial behaviour; refusal can bring a £70 fixed penalty notice or a maximum £1,000 fine. The Express says the rules began on 15 September and that Nottinghamshire Police identified more than 180 city-centre incidents involving face coverings or balaclavas between June 2025 and June 2026. 1 2 Centre · 1Marcellus Baz of the Nottingham youth project Switch Up said social media and drill music were influencing young people to wear balaclavas and that enforcing removal was the "right step", but warned that without a consistent nationwide strategy mask-wearing could be displaced and root causes such as youth service cuts must be addressed. 1 Right · 1The Express says Wolverhampton has already used public spaces protection powers to let police challenge people wearing face coverings without reasonable grounds, and is considering strengthening or extending them. It adds that the proposals do not amount to four confirmed city-wide bans and would not necessarily be a blanket prohibition. 2

Mixed · 2The issue sits within a wider political debate: Prime Minister Andy Burnham said anti-migrant protesters covering their faces was "not the British way", and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for full face coverings, including religious ones, to be banned in public. The Express adds that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged police chiefs to use powers to prohibit face coverings at protests for up to 24 hours. 1 2 Mixed · 2Some Newport residents backed a ban, while photographer Attela Kis voiced concern about its effect on people who cover their faces for religious reasons; the Express notes critics of blanket restrictions raise concerns about legitimate uses and about distinguishing them from concealment to offend. 1 2