Form N110A: Power of Arrest Attached to an Injunction

At a glance

• What it is: the court record that a power of arrest has been attached to one or more paragraphs of a civil injunction, so police can arrest without a warrant on reasonable suspicion of a breach.
• Current statutory bases: the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.4 (anti-social behaviour injunctions, since 23 March 2015); the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 via the Police and Justice Act 2006, s.27 (harassment injunctions); the Policing and Crime Act 2009, s.43 (gang-related violence injunctions).
• Not used for family injunctions: non-molestation and occupation orders under the Family Law Act 1996 use Form FL406, not N110A — see below.
• The 24-hour rule: an arrested person must be brought before a judge within 24 hours of arrest, excluding Christmas Day, Good Friday and any Sunday.
• Coverage: only the paragraphs of the injunction listed on the form carry a power of arrest — not necessarily the whole order.
• Duration: the power of arrest cannot outlast the injunction, and the court can set it to expire sooner than the rest of the order.

What Form N110A is

Form N110A is a county court form used in England and Wales to record that a judge has attached a power of arrest to a civil injunction. Where a court decides that the conduct being restrained is serious enough to justify immediate police intervention, it can attach a power of arrest to one or more of the paragraphs of the injunction, rather than requiring the applicant to come back to court every time they believe a breach has occurred.

The form sets out the respondent's name and address, the specific paragraphs of the order the power applies to, the statutory provision it is granted under, and the date the power takes effect and expires. Once the form is sealed by the court and served — both on the respondent and on the local police — an officer can arrest the respondent without a warrant if they have reasonable cause to suspect a breach of one of the listed paragraphs.

N110A is a procedural record rather than the injunction itself, but in practice it is the document a police officer checks to establish whether an arrest power is actually in force, and which paragraphs of the order it covers.

Which statutes N110A is used for — and which it is not

The form's own "Note to Arresting Officer" wording identifies the statutes it is used for. As things currently stand, that is:

• Section 4, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 — the power of arrest provision for injunctions granted under Part 1 of the 2014 Act, which has been the main route for anti-social behaviour injunctions since it came into force on 23 March 2015.
• Section 27, Police and Justice Act 2006 — which relates to power of arrest applications by local authorities on harassment injunctions granted under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
• Section 43, Policing and Crime Act 2009 — the arrest-without-warrant power for injunctions to prevent gang-related violence.
• Section 155, Housing Act 1996 — this is on the form for historical reasons. Sections 153A to 158 of the Housing Act 1996, including the section 155 arrest and remand power, were repealed on 23 March 2015 by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. It only remains relevant to injunctions granted before that date that are still in force.

N110A is not the form for family injunctions

This is a common point of confusion, so it is worth being precise about it. Non-molestation orders and occupation orders are made under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996, in the family court, not the county court's civil injunction jurisdiction. Where a power of arrest is attached to an occupation order, it is recorded on Form FL406 — a family court form — not on Form N110A.

The position on non-molestation orders changed in 2007. Before 1 July 2007, section 47 of the Family Law Act 1996 allowed a power of arrest to be attached to both occupation orders and non-molestation orders. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 amended section 47 so that, from 1 July 2007, it applies only to occupation orders. In its place, section 42A of the Family Law Act 1996 made breaching a non-molestation order a criminal offence in itself — punishable on indictment by up to five years' imprisonment or a fine, or both. Because breach of a non-molestation order is now a criminal offence, the police can arrest for it under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 without a court needing to attach a separate power of arrest, and without an N110A or FL406 power-of-arrest form being involved at all.

If you have been served with a non-molestation order or an occupation order and are trying to understand what happens if it is breached, that is governed by section 42A (non-molestation orders) or section 47 (occupation orders) of the Family Law Act 1996 — not by Form N110A.

How a power of arrest is attached and the form completed

1. The injunction is granted first. Before a power of arrest becomes relevant, the applicant must have applied for and been granted an injunction — for example under Part 1 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, or the Policing and Crime Act 2009.
2. The court decides whether the statutory test for attaching a power of arrest is met. Under section 4(1) of the 2014 Act, this is only where the respondent's conduct involved the use or threatened use of violence against others, or there is a significant risk of harm to others. This decision is separate from the decision to grant the injunction itself.
3. The judge identifies which paragraphs the power covers. A power of arrest does not have to attach to every term of the injunction — the court records on Form N110A exactly which paragraphs it applies to, and the statutory provision relied on.
4. Form N110A is completed and sealed by the court, including the respondent's details, the relevant paragraphs, the statutory basis, and the start and expiry dates of the power.
5. The form is served on the respondent and lodged with the local police, so that officers can confirm whether an arrest power is in force if a breach is reported. Proper service matters — without it, enforcement can be harder to prove.
6. If a breach occurs, a police officer can arrest the respondent without a warrant. The arrested person must be brought before a judge, generally within 24 hours of arrest under the rule set out on Form N110A itself, and the applicant must be informed of the arrest — forthwith or as soon as reasonably practicable, depending on which statute the power was granted under.

The 24-hour rule

Form N110A's own "Note to Arresting Officer" text sets this out directly: nothing in the relevant statutes authorises detaining the respondent beyond 24 hours from the time of arrest, and the person must be brought before a judge within that period. When counting the 24 hours, Christmas Day, Good Friday and any Sunday are left out of the calculation, which can extend how long the process actually takes over a weekend or those specific dates.

Duration and variation of the power of arrest

The power of arrest is time-limited on the face of Form N110A and cannot run for longer than the injunction it is attached to. Under section 4(2) of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the court can — and often does — set the power of arrest to expire earlier than the rest of the injunction, so it is worth checking the expiry date on the form itself rather than assuming it matches the injunction's end date.

If circumstances change, either party can apply to the court to vary or discharge the injunction, including the power of arrest specifically. A respondent who believes the power of arrest should not have been attached, or should no longer apply, can make that application rather than waiting for the injunction to expire.

If you are the subject of an injunction with a power of arrest attached

Read the sealed order and Form N110A carefully to see exactly which paragraphs carry a power of arrest — not every part of an injunction necessarily does. If you are arrested, you will be brought before a judge within the 24-hour period described above, and the matter is likely to be dealt with as a breach hearing rather than resolved on the spot. A proven breach can lead to committal to prison for contempt of court, and — where the underlying conduct also amounts to a criminal offence such as harassment or an offence under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 — separate criminal proceedings are possible too.

If the order relates to domestic abuse and you are the person the injunction is protecting, free and confidential support is available beyond the court process itself — see GOV.UK's guidance on getting help with domestic abuse, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which is available 24 hours a day.

This guide provides general information about how Form N110A and powers of arrest work in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative change.