The right to self-defense « Uncommon Misconceptions
Here are the basic rules for self-defense in Britain:
You are permitted to protect yourself with a briefcase, a handbag, or keys. You should shout “Call the Police” rather than “Help.” Bystanders are not to help. They have been taught to leave such matters to the professionals. If you manage to knock your attacker down, you must not hit him again or you risk being charged with assault.
I know lots of Brits. I work for a British company. The executive split their time equally between London and Los Angeles. What I have learned is that Brits themselves don't really understand self-defense or see a need for it. Self defense is somewhat distasteful.
Bookworm Room » Britain outlaws a homeowner’s self-defense against intruders
Myleene Klass, the broadcaster and model, brandished a knife at youths who broke into her garden – but has been warned by police that she may have acted illegally.
Miss Klass, a model for Marks & Spencer and a former singer with the pop group HearÂ’Say, was in her kitchen in the early hours of Friday when she saw two teenagers behaving suspiciously in her garden.
The youths approached the kitchen window, before attempting to break into her garden shed, prompting Miss Klass to wave a kitchen knife to scare them away.
Miss Klass, 31, who was alone in her house in Potters Bar, Herts, with her two-year-old daughter, Ava, called the police. When they arrived at her house they informed her that she should not have used a knife to scare off the youths because carrying an “offensive weapon” – even in her own home – was illegal.
One Brit, who describes himself as a pacifist, doesn't see the need for any kind of self defense. If you are nice, and cooperative, you might lose some property (possibly to someone who really needs it) but no one will hurt you.