[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"stats-overview":3,"kb-list":10},{"officers":4,"forces":5,"courts":6,"prisons":7,"hearings":8,"legals":9},769,50,224,120,41,11437,{"data":11},[12,30,43,51,63,74,85,93,105,112,119,131,139,150,158,166,173,186,196,204,212,219,227,235,245,252,259,266,276,282,288,295,302,309,316,332,344,356,368,379,389,397,406,414,423],{"id":13,"slug":14,"name":15,"content":16,"category_id":17,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":21,"updated_at":22,"category":23,"category_icon":24,"category_slug":25,"excerpt":26,"word_count":27,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"11","asperger-autistic-spectrum-adhd","Autism and ADHD: your rights with the police","Contact with the police is stressful for anyone. If you are autistic or have ADHD it can be overwhelming, and ordinary responses to stress (not making eye contact, going quiet, needing to move, speaking bluntly or loudly, taking questions literally) are easily misread by officers as evasiveness, intoxication or aggression. The law recognises this and gives you extra protections, but they only work if the police know.\n\nTell them, early and clearly\n\nYou do not need a diagnosis letter to be treated as vulnerable, but it helps. Say plainly: \"I am autistic\" or \"I have ADHD\" and, if it is true, \"I find this situation very hard to process; please speak slowly and tell me what is happening.\" Repeat it to each new officer, and to the custody officer when you arrive at the station. Many people carry an autism alert card (the National Autistic Society and several police forces issue them) or set up a medical ID on their phone; show it.\n\nIf you are a parent, carer or friend present at a stop or arrest, tell the officers calmly and ask to stay with the person or to be contacted as soon as they reach the station.\n\nWhat the police must do\n\nPACE Code C defines a \"vulnerable\" person as anyone who, because of a mental health condition or disorder, may have difficulty understanding or communicating, or may be particularly prone to becoming confused, giving unreliable answers, or agreeing to suggestions without meaning to. Autism and ADHD both fall within this. If there is any reason to suspect you are vulnerable, the custody officer must treat you as vulnerable, and that means:\n\n- An appropriate adult must be called to support you, in addition to your right to a free solicitor. They can be a family member, carer, friend, or a trained volunteer, and they must be present for interview, for any strip search, and when you are told your rights.\n- You should not be interviewed without the appropriate adult except in genuine emergencies.\n- The custody officer should arrange for a healthcare professional to assess you if there is any concern about your health or welfare, and should consider reasonable adjustments to how you are held: a quieter cell, dimmed lighting, more frequent checks, allowing a comfort item or your own clothing where safe.\n- Officers should explain what is happening in plain language and give you time to process questions.\n- Any use of force must be necessary and proportionate. Officers are trained that distress can look like resistance; if you are being restrained, keep saying that you are autistic or have ADHD and that you are not resisting.\n\nYou also have rights under the Equality Act 2010: the police must make reasonable adjustments for a disability, and must not treat you less favourably because of it.\n\nInterviews\n\nDo not answer questions about the allegation until you have spoken to a solicitor and your appropriate adult is present. Ask for questions to be put one at a time, and say if you do not understand. Taking a question literally, or agreeing to end the stress, can create evidence that is simply wrong. A solicitor who knows you are autistic or have ADHD can ask for the interview to be conducted differently and can challenge misleading answers later.\n\nThe \"friendly officer\"\n\nOfficers may be warm and chatty, especially in a voluntary interview. That is not a trick in itself, but anything you say to any officer, in the car, in the cell corridor or in the interview room, can be evidence. The rule is simple: be polite, be honest about your condition and needs, and save the facts of the allegation for the interview with your solicitor.\n\nMental Health Act powers\n\nIf officers believe you are in mental health crisis in a public place they can use section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take you to a \"place of safety\", normally a hospital or a dedicated health-based unit, for up to 24 hours (extendable to 36) for assessment. A police station can only be used as a place of safety for an adult in exceptional circumstances, and never for someone under 18.\n\nAfterwards\n\nIf you were not treated as vulnerable, were interviewed without an appropriate adult, or were restrained in a way that was not proportionate, you can complain to the force and the custody record is your evidence. Organisations such as the National Autistic Society and local advocacy services can help you do that.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","6",null,0,true,"2022-04-13T20:01:29.000Z","2026-10-06T09:14:18.000Z","Mental Health","mdi:brain","mental-health","Contact with the police is stressful for anyone. If you are autistic or have ADHD it can be overwhelming, and ordinary responses to stress (not making eye…",783,4,false,{"id":31,"slug":32,"name":33,"content":34,"category_id":35,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":36,"updated_at":22,"category":37,"category_icon":38,"category_slug":39,"excerpt":40,"word_count":41,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"23","can-my-password-be-bypassed","Can the police get into my phone without my password?","Often, yes. Police digital forensics units use commercial tools (the best known are made by Cellebrite, Magnet Forensics and Grayshift) that can extract data from many phones without the passcode. How much they can get depends on the device, its software version, and how it was locked.\n\nWhat tends to be weak\n\n- Short numeric PINs and swipe patterns. A 4-digit PIN has 10,000 combinations and a 6-digit PIN a million; forensic tools can try these automatically on many devices, and some can bypass the delay that normally slows repeated attempts.\n- Devices that are out of date. Older Android phones that no longer receive security updates, and older iPhones, have known vulnerabilities that extraction tools exploit.\n- Rooted or jailbroken devices, unless carefully configured.\n- Devices seized while switched on and recently unlocked, which may be in a state where more data is accessible than after a restart.\n- Cloud backups. Even if the handset resists, data may be obtained from Apple, Google or app providers with the right legal process.\n\nWhat tends to be strong\n\n- A long alphanumeric passcode (letters, numbers and symbols, no obvious words or repetition) combined with full-disk encryption. Modern iPhones and most recent Android phones are encrypted by default, but encryption is only as strong as the passcode protecting the key.\n- Fully updated software. Both iOS and Android now restart or re-lock after periods of inactivity precisely to defeat extraction tools.\n- Hardware-backed security (Apple's Secure Enclave, Android's Titan and similar chips), which limits brute-force attempts.\n- Face and fingerprint unlock are convenient, and are hard to forge, but they can be used against you if you are compelled or tricked into looking at the device. Both platforms let you quickly disable biometrics (for example, by pressing the power button repeatedly), after which the passcode is required.\n\nPulling memory chips off the board (\"chip-off\") still happens with older devices, but on an encrypted phone it produces encrypted data and little else.\n\nThe legal side\n\n- The police do not need your permission to attempt to access a device they have lawfully seized. Section 20 of PACE lets them require information held on a computer to be produced in a readable form, and they can examine the device itself.\n- You generally cannot be forced to hand over a passcode unless a notice is served under section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which needs judicial authorisation and carries a prison sentence for non-compliance. See our Section 49 guide.\n- Deliberately wiping or destroying a device after you know it is wanted as evidence can be perverting the course of justice, which is a serious offence. Securing your data in advance is lawful; destroying evidence is not.\n\nWhy this matters for everyone\n\nGood device security protects you from thieves and fraudsters as much as from anyone else. A long passcode, up-to-date software, and knowing how to disable biometrics quickly are sensible habits regardless of whether you ever meet the police.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","5","2022-11-03T03:13:05.000Z","CyberCrime","mdi:shield-lock","cybercrime","Often, yes. Police digital forensics units use commercial tools (the best known are made by Cellebrite, Magnet Forensics and Grayshift) that can extract data…",531,3,{"id":44,"slug":45,"name":46,"content":47,"category_id":35,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":48,"updated_at":22,"category":37,"category_icon":38,"category_slug":39,"excerpt":49,"word_count":50,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"8","do-i-have-to-give-the-police-my-password","Do I have to give the police my password?","Not unless they serve a formal notice under section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), or you are being examined at a port or airport under terrorism powers. In any other situation, you can decline, and declining is not an offence.\n\nBeing asked\n\nIf officers seize your phone or computer they will usually ask for the passcode or PIN. This is a request, and you do not have to agree. You can say that you would like to speak to a solicitor before answering any questions, including that one. Officers cannot hold you in contempt (that is a power of courts, not the police) and refusing a request does not justify extra force or a longer detention.\n\nBeing ordered\n\nSection 49 of RIPA allows the police to serve a written notice requiring you to disclose a password, PIN or encryption key. The notice must be authorised by a judge in most cases, and the police must have reasonable grounds to believe:\n\n- The key is in your possession.\n- Disclosure is necessary for preventing or detecting crime, in the interests of national security, or for the economic well-being of the UK.\n- Disclosure is proportionate.\n- The information cannot reasonably be obtained any other way.\n\nThe notice must be in writing, describe the protected information, give you a time limit, and tell you the consequences of not complying. Failing to comply is an offence under section 53 carrying up to two years' imprisonment (five years in national security and child indecency cases). You should not say anything about a section 49 notice until you have spoken to a solicitor. Read our full guide to Section 49.\n\nWhat if you genuinely don't know it?\n\nThe law cannot make you remember something you have forgotten. If you are prosecuted under section 53, and there is enough evidence to raise the possibility that you did not have the key, the prosecution has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you did. In practice courts look at how recently you used the device and how plausible the forgetting is. Changing your password regularly and not knowing the current one after months in police storage is a real scenario; claiming to have forgotten a code you used an hour earlier is unlikely to convince anyone. Lying to the police about it could amount to perverting the course of justice.\n\nPorts and airports\n\nUnder Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, an examining officer at a port can require you to hand over devices and the means to access them, without any suspicion. Wilfully failing to comply is an offence punishable by up to three months' imprisonment. This power only applies at borders.\n\nFace and fingerprint\n\nThere is no clear power to force you to look at or touch your phone to unlock it, but there is also no case law that says officers cannot. If this concerns you, disable biometric unlock when you expect contact with the police; both iOS and Android have a quick way to do this.\n\nIn short\n\n- A request for your password: you can refuse, and should take legal advice first.\n- A section 49 notice: take urgent legal advice; refusal is a crime.\n- A border examination: refusing is an offence.\n- Never lie about it or destroy data: both are offences in their own right.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-11-03T02:52:59.000Z","Not unless they serve a formal notice under section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), or you are being examined at a port or…",591,{"id":52,"slug":53,"name":54,"content":55,"category_id":56,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":57,"updated_at":22,"category":58,"category_icon":59,"category_slug":60,"excerpt":61,"word_count":62,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"7","rules-when-recording-the-police","Filming the police: your rights and how to do it safely","You can film the police. There is no law in England and Wales against photographing or recording officers in a public place, or in your own home, and forces including the Metropolitan Police say so in their own guidance. Officers themselves now routinely record encounters on body-worn video. What follows is what the law allows, what it does not, and how to film without making a tense situation worse.\n\nWhat the law says\n\n- Filming in public is lawful. You do not need permission, and officers cannot order you to stop simply because they do not like it.\n- Officers cannot make you delete footage, and have no power to delete it themselves.\n- They can only seize your phone if they reasonably believe it contains evidence of an offence (section 19 of PACE), or on arrest. Even then they must not delete anything, must give you a record, and must return it when it is no longer needed.\n- Obstruction is the limit. Under section 89 of the Police Act 1996 it is an offence to wilfully obstruct an officer in the execution of their duty. Filming is not obstruction; standing in the officer's way, pushing a camera into their face, or refusing to move back when lawfully asked can be.\n- Section 58A of the Terrorism Act 2000, which concerns eliciting information about officers for terrorist purposes, does not apply to ordinary filming and national guidance tells officers not to use it that way.\n- Publishing footage is a separate question. You can generally share it, but be careful about identifying victims, children or bystanders, and anything said in it that could be defamatory. Footage from a stop that becomes court evidence may also be subject to reporting restrictions.\n\nWhy film\n\nA recording is your own evidence of what was said and done, and it tends to improve behaviour on both sides. Complaints backed by footage are far harder to dismiss, and footage has been decisive in many successful claims against the police.\n\nHow to do it safely\n\n1. Say what you are doing\nReaching suddenly into a pocket during a stop can be read as a threat. Say \"I'm going to take out my phone and record this\", then do it slowly.\n\n2. Keep your distance\nStay far enough back that officers can work and that nobody can claim you obstructed them. A wider shot captures more anyway.\n\n3. Ask a witness to film\nA friend or passer-by filming from a few metres away is harder to accuse of obstruction and gives you a second angle. Ask them to send you the footage straight away.\n\n4. Narrate the essentials\nSay the date, time and place, and read out the officer's shoulder number. Ask the officer to state the grounds and the power for any search; their answer on camera is worth more than anything else you record.\n\n5. Fall back to audio\nIf filming is escalating things, put the phone in your pocket and keep recording audio. The words matter most.\n\n6. Protect the footage\nUse a live-streaming or auto-upload app, or back up to the cloud as soon as you can, so that the recording survives if the phone is seized or damaged. Lock your phone with a strong passcode and disable biometric unlock if you expect contact with the police.\n\nWhen not to film\n\nYour safety comes first. If an officer is becoming aggressive and filming is making it worse, you may decide to stop. That does not mean accepting bad behaviour: note the officer's number, the time and place, and complain afterwards. Body-worn video exists and you can ask for it to be preserved and disclosed as part of your complaint. Exercising your rights after the event is sometimes the safest option.\n\nA tool, not a weapon\n\nFilming works best as a neutral record. Stay calm, keep your language measured, and let the footage speak. The aim is to protect yourself and hold officers to the standards they are meant to meet, not to provoke a reaction.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","10","2022-04-13T19:58:11.000Z","General","mdi:information-outline","general","You can film the police. There is no law in England and Wales against photographing or recording officers in a public place, or in your own home, and forces…",704,{"id":64,"slug":65,"name":66,"content":67,"category_id":52,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":68,"updated_at":22,"category":69,"category_icon":70,"category_slug":71,"excerpt":72,"word_count":73,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"14","im-going-to-prison-what-to-expect","Going to prison: what to expect in your first days","Whether you are expecting a custodial sentence or have been remanded, the first few days are the hardest. Knowing the routine helps.\n\nReception\n\nFrom court you will be taken by escort van to a local prison. In reception your property is listed and stored (you can usually keep a limited amount with you), you are searched, photographed and given a prison number, and you will see a nurse for a health screen. Tell them honestly about medication, drug or alcohol use, mental health, and whether you feel at risk; this decides how you are looked after.\n\nYou will be given a bedding pack, basic toiletries, and either prison clothing or permission to wear your own, depending on your status. You should get a phone call on the first night; ask for it.\n\nFirst night and induction\n\nMost prisons have a first night centre or induction wing. Over the following days you will be told the rules, the daily routine, how to order from the canteen (the weekly shop), how the phone system works, and how to apply for visits, work and education. Ask questions; the staff and the peer mentors (prisoners employed to help newcomers, often called Insiders) expect them.\n\nWho's who\n\n- Prison officers run the wings. They are not police officers, and most are not interested in what you did. Courtesy is usually returned.\n- Your personal officer or key worker is the officer assigned to you; raise problems with them first.\n- Listeners are prisoners trained by Samaritans to support anyone struggling, in confidence, day or night. Ask any officer for one.\n- The chaplaincy supports people of all faiths and none, and can help with family contact.\n- The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) are volunteers who check the prison is run fairly; you can write to them confidentially.\n\nDaily life\n\nPrisons work on a regime: unlock, meals, work or education, association (time out of cell to socialise, shower, phone), and lock-up. Regimes vary a lot between prisons and can be curtailed by staff shortages. Your behaviour is managed through the Incentives policy (basic, standard and enhanced levels), which affects visits, spending and in-cell privileges such as a TV.\n\nKeeping in touch\n\nYour family can send money to your account through the government's \"Send money to someone in prison\" service. You can make calls to approved numbers using PIN credit; many prisons now have in-cell phones. Letters are allowed in and out (they may be read). Visits need a visiting order, which you request; social visits are usually two or three a month for standard level. Emails can be sent to you via the Email a Prisoner service, and some prisons offer video calls.\n\nStaying safe and keeping your head down\n\n- You do not have to tell anyone why you are inside, and many people choose not to. Staff should not disclose it either.\n- Do not get into debt. Borrowing tobacco, vapes or canteen items is how most trouble starts.\n- Avoid drugs. Spice and other substances are the biggest cause of violence and medical emergencies in prison.\n- If you are convicted of a sexual offence, or are at risk for another reason, you can ask to be held on a vulnerable prisoner unit (VPU) under Prison Rule 45 for your own protection.\n- If you are threatened or assaulted, tell an officer or use the cell bell. See our guide on safety in prison.\n\nSentences, categories and moves\n\nAfter a short period in a local prison, sentenced prisoners are categorised (A to D, with D being open conditions) and usually moved to a training prison. Your offender manager will set a sentence plan covering courses, work and release planning. For most standard determinate sentences you will be released at the halfway or two-thirds point on licence, and Home Detention Curfew (tag) can bring release earlier.\n\nIf you are on remand\n\nUnconvicted prisoners have extra rights: more visits, your own clothes, no requirement to work, and access to your solicitor for legal visits and calls. Time on remand counts towards any sentence.\n\nGetting help\n\nThe Prisoners' Advice Service, Prison Reform Trust advice line and the Howard League (for under-21s) give free, independent advice. Every prison also has a formal complaints system, and beyond that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.\n\nThis guide reflects the position in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate prison systems.","2022-04-14T08:04:19.000Z","Prison","mdi:office-building","prison","Whether you are expecting a custodial sentence or have been remanded, the first few days are the hardest. Knowing the routine helps. Reception From court you…",732,{"id":17,"slug":75,"name":76,"content":77,"category_id":78,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":79,"updated_at":22,"category":80,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":82,"excerpt":83,"word_count":84,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"how-long-you-can-be-held-in-custody","How long you can be held in custody","Police detention without charge is time-limited by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and must be reviewed regularly by an officer not involved in the investigation.\n\nThe limits\n\n- 24 hours is the standard maximum, from the time you arrive at the police station (or 24 hours after your arrest, if you were taken to a station a long way away).\n- 36 hours if a superintendent authorises continued detention. This is only available for indictable offences (those that can be tried at the Crown Court), where the investigation is being carried out diligently and more time is needed to secure or preserve evidence or to question you.\n- 96 hours is the absolute maximum, and only a magistrates' court can authorise detention beyond 36 hours, by issuing a \"warrant of further detention\". You are entitled to be present and represented at that hearing.\n- 14 days applies only to arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000, with extensions beyond 48 hours authorised by a judge.\n\nThe clock does not usually stop when you are asleep, or waiting for a solicitor or an interpreter. It can be paused if you are taken to hospital and not being questioned.\n\nReviews of your detention\n\nAn inspector who is not involved in the investigation must review whether your detention is still necessary: first no later than six hours after it was authorised, then at least every nine hours. You, or your solicitor, can make representations at each review. If detention is no longer necessary you must be released.\n\nWhat happens at the end\n\nBy the deadline the police must either charge you, release you under investigation, release you on bail, or release you with no further action. If you are charged and kept in custody, you must be brought before a magistrates' court at the next available sitting, usually the following morning.\n\nChecking the times yourself\n\nYour custody record shows the time your detention was authorised and every review. You can ask for a copy when you are released; you are entitled to one for up to 12 months. If you believe you were held beyond the lawful limit, speak to a solicitor about a complaint or a claim for unlawful detention.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","3","2022-04-13T19:57:04.000Z","Custody","mdi:handcuffs","custody","Police detention without charge is time-limited by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and must be reviewed regularly by an officer not…",401,{"id":86,"slug":87,"name":88,"content":89,"category_id":35,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":90,"updated_at":22,"category":37,"category_icon":38,"category_slug":39,"excerpt":91,"word_count":92,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"9","how-are-digital-devices-seized","How the police seize phones, laptops and other devices","Digital devices are now evidence in most investigations, so the police move quickly to secure them before data can be deleted. This is what the law allows, and what you can expect.\n\nThe powers\n\n- Section 19 of PACE allows an officer who is lawfully on premises to seize anything they reasonably believe is evidence of an offence, or was obtained through one, where seizure is necessary to prevent it being concealed, lost, altered or destroyed. This covers phones, laptops, tablets, hard drives, games consoles, routers and smart home devices.\n- Section 20 extends that to information stored electronically: officers can require it to be produced in a form they can take away and read.\n- Section 50 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 (\"seize and sift\") allows officers to take away items they cannot examine on the spot, such as a whole computer, even if only part of the contents is relevant. Material that turns out to be irrelevant, or legally privileged, must be returned.\n- Section 32 of PACE allows a search of a person on arrest, including their phone.\n- Devices can also be seized under a search warrant that names them.\n\nWhat usually happens\n\nIn cases involving digital evidence the police often attend your home early in the morning, with enough officers to cover the exits, and may arrest you at the door before searching. They are entitled to seize every device that could reasonably hold evidence, and if nobody is there to say which devices belong to whom, they will take all of them. Devices belonging to other household members are frequently taken too; they can be returned sooner if ownership and irrelevance are quickly established.\n\nIf officers knock and you are inside, open the door. If they have a power of entry and you do not, they will force it and you may be left with the repair bill. Do not attempt to hide, wipe or damage devices once you know the police are there: that can be a separate and serious offence (perverting the course of justice), often easier to prove than whatever they came for.\n\nYour rights when devices are seized\n\n- A written record of everything seized. Under section 21 of PACE you can ask for a record within a reasonable time, and the Notice of Powers and Rights left after a search should explain this.\n- Access or a copy. You can ask for access to seized items, or for a copy of data (for example documents you need for work), unless the officer in charge reasonably believes that would prejudice the investigation.\n- Return. Items must be returned when they are no longer needed as evidence or for forensic examination (section 22). In practice phones and computers are often held for many months while forensic units work through a backlog. Your solicitor can press for return or for a copy of essential data.\n- Challenging seizure. If you think items were seized unlawfully, or are being retained without justification, you can apply to a magistrates' court (or the Crown Court) for their return, and complain to the force.\n\nPasswords\n\nOfficers will ask for your passcodes. You are not obliged to give them unless a formal notice is served under section 49 of RIPA; see our separate guides. Take legal advice before answering.\n\nPractical steps\n\nAsk for the seizure record and check it against what was taken. Note serial numbers if you can. Tell your solicitor about anything on the devices that is legally privileged (correspondence with lawyers), or that you urgently need. If devices belonging to family members were taken, provide proof of ownership early to get them back.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-11-03T02:37:59.000Z","Digital devices are now evidence in most investigations, so the police move quickly to secure them before data can be deleted. This is what the law allows…",643,{"id":94,"slug":95,"name":96,"content":97,"category_id":86,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":98,"updated_at":22,"category":99,"category_icon":100,"category_slug":101,"excerpt":102,"word_count":103,"reading_time":104,"is_official":29},"26","uk-filing-complaints","How to complain about the police","Anyone who has been affected by the conduct of a police officer, special constable, PCSO or police staff member in England and Wales can complain. This guide explains the system as it has operated since the reforms of February 2020, and how to make a complaint that is taken seriously.\n\nWhat you can complain about\n\nAny aspect of how you were treated or how a force operated, including:\n\n- Use of force that was not necessary or proportionate.\n- Unlawful or unnecessary arrest, detention or search.\n- Discrimination of any kind.\n- Rudeness, abuse or oppressive behaviour.\n- Failure to investigate, to update you, or to follow procedure.\n- Dishonesty or corruption.\n- Mishandling of your property or data.\n\nYou should normally complain within 12 months of the incident. Later complaints can still be accepted if there is a good reason for the delay or the matter is serious.\n\nWhere to send it\n\n- To the force itself. Every force has a Professional Standards Department (PSD) and an online complaints form. You can also complain at any police station, by letter or by phone (101).\n- To your Police and Crime Commissioner (or the Mayor's office in London, Manchester and West Yorkshire). Since 2020, some PCCs have taken on the role of receiving and logging complaints before passing them to the PSD; others also carry out the review stage. Their websites explain which model applies in your area.\n- To the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). You can submit a complaint via policeconduct.gov.uk, but the IOPC will forward it to the force to record; it only investigates the most serious matters itself.\n- Through someone else: a solicitor, Citizens Advice, your MP, a charity or a family member, with your written consent.\n\nWhat to include\n\n- Date, time and place.\n- The officers involved: names, shoulder numbers, descriptions, vehicle numbers.\n- What happened, in order, in your own words. Stick to facts and avoid adjectives; let the facts carry the weight.\n- Witnesses and their contact details.\n- Evidence: your own video, photos of injuries, medical notes, receipts for damage, the stop and search record or custody record.\n- Any reference numbers you were given, and a request that body-worn video and custody CCTV be preserved. Make that request as early as possible: footage is routinely deleted after 31 days unless flagged.\n- What outcome you want: an apology, an explanation, training, disciplinary action, or a change of policy.\n\nKeep a copy of everything you send and a log of every response.\n\nHow it is handled\n\nOnce your complaint is received, the force (or PCC) must contact you and decide how to handle it:\n\n1. Handled outside the formal system\nFor minor matters, and only with your agreement, the force can deal with the complaint informally and quickly, for example with an explanation or apology. You can insist that it is recorded formally instead.\n\n2. Recorded and handled \"reasonably and proportionately\"\nMost complaints are recorded under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002 and dealt with by the PSD in a way that is reasonable and proportionate to the seriousness. That ranges from a review of body-worn footage and a conversation with the officer, up to a full investigation with interviews. You should be told who is handling it and be updated at least every 28 days.\n\n3. Referred to the IOPC\nCertain matters must be referred: a death or serious injury following police contact, serious assault, serious sexual offence, serious corruption, a criminal offence or behaviour aggravated by discrimination, and abuse of position for a sexual purpose. The IOPC then decides whether to investigate independently, direct the force's investigation, or return it to the force.\n\nPossible outcomes\n\n- An explanation of what happened and why.\n- An apology, or recognition that the service fell short.\n- Learning for the individual officer (reflective practice) or for the force.\n- Misconduct proceedings, which can lead to a written warning, a final written warning, reduction in rank, or dismissal and being placed on the barred list.\n- A criminal investigation and prosecution in the most serious cases.\n- A finding that the complaint is not upheld.\n\nReviews (what used to be called appeals)\n\nIf you are unhappy with how your complaint was handled or with the outcome, you have the right to request a review within 28 days of the outcome letter. The letter will tell you whether the review body is your Police and Crime Commissioner (for most complaints) or the IOPC (for more serious matters). The reviewer looks at whether the handling and outcome were reasonable and proportionate, and can direct the force to take further action.\n\nBeyond the complaints system\n\n- Civil claims. Unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, assault, trespass and malicious prosecution can all be the basis for a claim for damages against the Chief Constable. Specialist solicitors often act on a no-win no-fee basis, and legal aid remains available for some actions against the police. The time limit is normally six years (three for personal injury, one for Human Rights Act claims).\n- Judicial review of unlawful decisions, within three months.\n- The Equality and Human Rights Commission for discrimination issues.\n- Your MP, who can raise the matter with the force or the Home Office.\n- The Information Commissioner for data protection breaches.\n\nVictimisation\n\nThe police must not treat you worse because you have complained. If you believe you are being targeted after complaining, report that as a further complaint and tell the IOPC.\n\nSupport\n\nCitizens Advice, local Law Centres, Liberty, StopWatch (stop and search), INQUEST (deaths in custody) and the Police Action Lawyers Group (specialist solicitors) can all help. Making a clear, factual, evidenced complaint promptly, and asking for a review if the response is inadequate, is what gets results.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2024-12-16T00:00:00.000Z","System Topics","mdi:shield-star","system-topics","Anyone who has been affected by the conduct of a police officer, special constable, PCSO or police staff member in England and Wales can complain. This guide…",997,5,{"id":78,"slug":106,"name":107,"content":108,"category_id":78,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":109,"updated_at":22,"category":80,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":82,"excerpt":110,"word_count":111,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"when-you-can-be-released-on-bail","Police bail and 'released under investigation' explained","When the police have finished with you for the time being but have not decided what to do, you will be released in one of three ways. None of them costs you anything: there is no financial bail in England and Wales.\n\n1. Released under investigation (RUI)\nYou are released with no conditions and no date to return. The investigation continues and you may be asked back for interview or told the outcome by letter, sometimes months later. You should be given written notice that you are under investigation. If you have been RUI'd for a long time with no update, your solicitor can press the force for a decision.\n\n2. Pre-charge bail\nYou are released with a duty to return to the police station on a set date, and possibly with conditions, for example not to contact a named person or go to a particular address. Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 the police are expected to use bail with conditions rather than RUI where that is needed to protect victims or witnesses.\n\nThe time limits on pre-charge bail are:\n\n- Up to 3 months, authorised by an inspector.\n- Extendable to 6 months by a superintendent.\n- Extendable to 9 months by a superintendent in designated complex cases (12 months in some serious fraud and similar cases).\n- Beyond that only a magistrates' court can extend it.\n\nBreaching a pre-charge bail condition is not itself a criminal offence, but you can be arrested for it and your conditions can be tightened. Breaching certain conditions, such as contacting a protected person, may also be a separate offence. You can ask the police to vary conditions, and apply to a magistrates' court if they refuse.\n\n3. Charged and bailed to court\nIf you are charged you will usually be released on bail to attend court on a set date. The custody officer can attach conditions under the Bail Act 1976 if they think you might otherwise:\n\n- Fail to turn up at court.\n- Commit another offence.\n- Interfere with witnesses or obstruct the course of justice.\n- Be at risk yourself, or (if under 18) need protection.\n\nTypical conditions include a curfew, living at a specified address, not contacting named people, not going to a specified area, or reporting to a police station. Failing to attend court on bail is a criminal offence in its own right, and breaching conditions can lead to arrest and to being kept in custody until your hearing.\n\nBeing kept in custody after charge\n\nThe police can refuse bail after charge if, for example, they do not know your name or address, they believe you will not attend court or will commit offences, or they need to protect someone. You must then be brought before a magistrates' court at the next sitting, where you can apply for bail with legal representation. For most offences there is a presumption in favour of bail.\n\nWhat to do\n\nGet the bail notice or RUI notice in writing and keep it. Make a note of your return date. If a condition is unworkable (it stops you working or seeing your children), ask your solicitor about applying to vary it straight away rather than breaching it.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T19:53:59.000Z","When the police have finished with you for the time being but have not decided what to do, you will be released in one of three ways. None of them costs you…",571,{"id":113,"slug":114,"name":115,"content":116,"category_id":86,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":98,"updated_at":22,"category":99,"category_icon":100,"category_slug":101,"excerpt":117,"word_count":118,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"24","uk-police-procedures","Police procedures from stop to release: what to expect","This guide walks through the standard sequence of a police encounter in England and Wales, from being spoken to in the street to being released from custody, and what the rules say should happen at each stage. Each stage has a more detailed guide elsewhere in the Knowledge Base.\n\nStop and account\n\nAn officer can ask you who you are, what you are doing and where you are going. You do not have to stop or answer, and refusal is not grounds for a search. You can ask for the officer's name and station. The exceptions are specific powers such as section 50 of the Police Reform Act (anti-social behaviour) and road traffic law.\n\nStop and search\n\nRequires reasonable grounds to suspect you are carrying drugs, weapons, stolen goods or items for use in crime, unless a section 60 authorisation is in force. Before searching, the officer must tell you their name and station, what they are looking for, the grounds, the legal power, and that you are entitled to a record. In public you can only be asked to remove outer clothing. You can ask for the search record or a copy within three months.\n\nArrest\n\nThe officer must tell you that you are under arrest, the offence, and why arrest is necessary, and must caution you. They may search you and use reasonable force. You must be taken to a police station as soon as practicable.\n\nBooking in at custody\n\nThe custody officer decides whether to authorise detention and must tell you your rights: free legal advice, having someone informed, consulting the Codes, an interpreter, and medical help. Your property is recorded. You may be searched, photographed and have fingerprints and DNA taken. If you are under 18 or vulnerable, an appropriate adult is called.\n\nInterview\n\nMust be under caution and audio recorded. You can have your solicitor present and consult them in private. You can answer, say \"no comment\", or hand in a prepared statement. Breaks are required at meal times and roughly every two hours, and you must have eight hours' rest in 24.\n\nIdentification procedures\n\nIf identification is in dispute you may be asked to take part in a video identification (the usual method), an identification parade, a group identification or, rarely, a confrontation. You are entitled to legal advice beforehand and your solicitor can attend. Refusing is possible, but the police may then use covert methods and the court may be told of the refusal.\n\nUse of force\n\nOfficers may use force that is reasonable in the circumstances to make an arrest, prevent crime or protect themselves or others. Force must be necessary and proportionate, and every use must be justified and recorded. Excessive force is unlawful and can be the subject of a complaint and a civil claim.\n\nDetention reviews and time limits\n\nAn inspector must review your detention at six hours and then every nine. The standard limit is 24 hours, extendable to 36 by a superintendent (indictable offences) and to 96 by magistrates. Terrorism Act detention can last 14 days.\n\nRelease\n\nYou will leave custody in one of these ways:\n\n- No further action.\n- Released under investigation, with no conditions and no date.\n- Pre-charge bail, with or without conditions, for up to three months initially.\n- An out-of-court disposal such as a community resolution or caution, which requires your agreement and may show on a record.\n- Charged and bailed to court.\n- Charged and kept in custody for the next court sitting.\n\nYou are entitled to a copy of your custody record for 12 months.\n\nThroughout\n\nYou have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to an interpreter, to an appropriate adult if under 18 or vulnerable, and to complain at any time. Officers must comply with PACE and its Codes; failures can lead to evidence being excluded, to complaints being upheld, and to claims for damages.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","This guide walks through the standard sequence of a police encounter in England and Wales, from being spoken to in the street to being released from custody…",682,{"id":120,"slug":121,"name":122,"content":123,"category_id":124,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":125,"updated_at":22,"category":126,"category_icon":127,"category_slug":128,"excerpt":129,"word_count":130,"reading_time":104,"is_official":29},"21","police-raid-procedures","Police raids: your rights when officers search your home","Your home has the strongest protection of any place in English law. Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, given effect by the Human Rights Act 1998, protects your private and family life and your home, and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) with its Code B sets strict rules on when officers can enter and how they must behave once inside. This guide explains those rules so you know what should happen, and what to do if it does not.\n\nWhen the police can enter your home\n\nThe police can enter and search your home in four broad situations:\n\n- With your consent. It must be genuine and, where practicable, in writing on a Notice of Powers and Rights, and you can withdraw it at any time. A landlord cannot consent on behalf of a tenant, and a housemate can only consent to shared areas and their own room.\n- Without a warrant, under specific powers. Section 17 of PACE allows entry to arrest someone for an indictable offence, to execute an arrest warrant, to save life or limb, to prevent serious damage to property, or to recapture someone unlawfully at large. Officers can also enter to deal with or prevent a breach of the peace. After an arrest, section 18 allows a search of premises occupied or controlled by the arrested person (authorised by an inspector), and section 32 allows a search of the premises where the person was arrested or had just been.\n- Under a search warrant, most commonly a section 8 PACE warrant issued by a magistrate, or warrants under the Misuse of Drugs Act and other statutes.\n- Under terrorism legislation, which has its own rules.\n\nThe idea that officers need you to open the door \"or they will force it anyway\" is only half true: if they have one of the powers above they may use reasonable force to enter, but if they do not, they must leave when asked.\n\nWhat should happen with a warrant\n\nIf officers arrive with a warrant they must, unless doing so would frustrate the search:\n\n- Identify themselves, show their warrant cards if not in uniform, and explain the purpose and grounds of the search.\n- Show you the warrant and give you a copy, together with a Notice of Powers and Rights.\n- Ask for your consent to enter first (unless it is impracticable or would defeat the purpose).\n- Carry out the search within three months of the warrant being issued, and normally only once unless the warrant authorises multiple entries.\n- Search at a reasonable hour unless that would frustrate the search.\n- Search only to the extent needed to find what the warrant covers, and stop once it is found or they are satisfied it is not there.\n- Use no more force or disturbance than necessary, and show consideration for the property and privacy of the occupier.\n- Allow a friend, neighbour or other person to witness the search if you ask, unless the officer in charge reasonably believes that would seriously hinder the investigation or endanger officers.\n- Leave the premises secure if they forced entry, arranging for the occupier or landlord to attend where possible.\n\nIf nobody is home, a copy of the warrant and the Notice must be left in a prominent place. Officers can seize anything the warrant covers and, under section 19, anything else they reasonably believe is evidence of an offence. You are entitled to a record of what was taken (see our guide on seizure of devices).\n\nThe wrong address\n\nOfficers must have reasonable grounds to believe evidence is at the address they apply for. Raids on a suspect's \"last known address\" after they have moved happen more than they should. If your home is searched by mistake, Code B says everything possible should be done at the earliest opportunity to allay any sense of grievance, and most forces will pay for repairs and often apologise. You may also have a claim for trespass and for damage.\n\nWho pays for the door?\n\n- If entry was unlawful, or the address was wrong, the police are liable for the damage.\n- If the entry was lawful and the force used was reasonable, the force will often decline to pay, and the cost falls on the occupier or landlord, though many forces have a discretionary policy to repair damage where the occupier was not the suspect. Always ask.\n- If you rent, tell your landlord straight away and keep the paperwork; you may need to show the damage was caused by police and not by you.\n\nFilming the search\n\nYou are entitled to film officers in your home while they search, as long as you do not obstruct them. They cannot delete footage and may only seize your phone if they reasonably believe it contains evidence of an offence. See our guide to filming the police.\n\nShared houses and rented homes\n\nOfficers may only search the parts of a shared property that are reasonably needed to find what they are looking for. A warrant for one tenant's room does not authorise a search of other tenants' rooms. Consent from your landlord is not consent from you.\n\nIf the rules were broken\n\nNote the time officers arrived and left, their names or numbers, what was said, and photograph any damage before you tidy. Ask for the Notice of Powers and Rights and the list of seized property if you were not given them. You can complain to the force and, where a search was unlawful or excessive force was used, a civil actions solicitor can advise on a claim for damages. Evidence obtained by an unlawful search can also be challenged in any prosecution.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","4","2022-04-13T20:13:32.000Z","Your Home","mdi:home-outline","your-home","Your home has the strongest protection of any place in English law. Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, given effect by the Human Rights…",991,{"id":132,"slug":133,"name":134,"content":135,"category_id":52,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":136,"updated_at":22,"category":69,"category_icon":70,"category_slug":71,"excerpt":137,"word_count":138,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"13","security-is-it-safe","Safety in prison: who to turn to and how to stay safe","Prisons are not safe in the way the outside world is. Assaults, self-harm and deaths in custody all happen, and the risk varies enormously between establishments and wings. But there is a system designed to protect you, and knowing how to use it matters.\n\nThe honest picture\n\nLevels of violence and self-harm in prisons in England and Wales rose sharply through the 2010s and remain high, driven by overcrowding, staff shortages and drugs. Local and remand prisons tend to be the most volatile; open and training prisons much calmer. HM Inspectorate of Prisons publishes a report on every prison, which you or your family can read online to understand the specific place you are going to.\n\nStaff and supervision\n\nThere should always be officers on a wing when prisoners are unlocked, and a night patrol when they are not. Cell bells (a button in every cell) call an officer; they should respond promptly, and you should use it for any emergency. Many wings have CCTV in corridors and association areas, though not all cameras work and there are none inside cells except in dedicated observation cells. Body-worn video is widely used by officers.\n\nIf you feel at risk\n\n- Tell an officer. If you are being threatened or bullied, or owe someone, say so. Staff can move you to another wing or cell, or open a protection process.\n- Ask to go on the vulnerable prisoner unit (VPU) or for Rule 45 protection. This is used for people convicted of sexual offences, former police officers, people with debts or gang issues, and anyone else whose safety is at risk. It is your right to ask and the prison must consider it.\n- Use the Listeners. These are fellow prisoners trained by Samaritans to listen in confidence. Any officer can arrange it, at any hour. Samaritans can also be called free from prison phones.\n- Tell the healthcare team if you feel suicidal or want to hurt yourself. The prison must open an ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) plan, which means regular checks, a care plan and someone responsible for you.\n- Safer Custody is the team in every prison responsible for preventing violence and self-harm; you or your family can contact them directly, and families can ring the prison's Safer Custody line if they are worried about you.\n\nDrugs and debt\n\nMost violence in modern prisons is about drugs and the debts they create. Synthetic cannabinoids (\"spice\") and other substances circulate widely, often through drones and contaminated mail. Staying away from them, and refusing to hold or move anything for anyone, is the single most effective thing you can do for your own safety.\n\nReporting assaults and staff misconduct\n\nIf you are assaulted by another prisoner, report it: it can be dealt with as a prison adjudication or referred to the police. If you are assaulted or mistreated by staff, use the complaints system (a COMP 1 form, or a confidential COMP 2 for serious matters), write to the Independent Monitoring Board, or contact the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman once the internal process is exhausted. Solicitors specialising in prison law and actions against public bodies can help; legal aid may be available.\n\nFamily and friends\n\nFamilies can help from outside by staying in contact, putting money on your account so debt is not a temptation, and raising concerns with the prison's Safer Custody team or family services. The Prisoners' Families Helpline gives free advice.\n\nNobody can promise that prison is safe. But people who tell staff early about threats, stay away from drugs and debt, and use the support that exists come through it far more often than those who try to handle everything alone.","2022-04-14T08:04:12.000Z","Prisons are not safe in the way the outside world is. Assaults, self-harm and deaths in custody all happen, and the risk varies enormously between…",617,{"id":140,"slug":141,"name":142,"content":143,"category_id":44,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":144,"updated_at":22,"category":145,"category_icon":146,"category_slug":147,"excerpt":148,"word_count":149,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"16","section-49","Section 49 RIPA notices: being ordered to hand over a password","Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is the power that turns a request for your password into a legal order. It is used against encrypted phones, computers and files that the police cannot otherwise get into.\n\nWhat a section 49 notice is\n\nA written notice requiring you to disclose a key, password, PIN or passcode, or to put protected information into an intelligible form, within a set time. For the police to serve one, the following must be true:\n\n- They have lawfully obtained the protected information, for example on a seized device.\n- They have reasonable grounds to believe the key is in your possession.\n- Disclosure is necessary in the interests of national security, for preventing or detecting crime, or for the economic well-being of the UK.\n- The requirement is proportionate to what it is meant to achieve.\n- It is not reasonably practicable to get the information any other way.\n\nPermission to serve the notice must normally be given by a judge (a Circuit Judge or District Judge in England and Wales). The notice itself must be in writing, describe the information it relates to, state the time limit, say which office or rank gave permission, and explain how the disclosure is to be made.\n\nWhat happens if you don't comply\n\nFailing to comply is an offence under section 53, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment, or up to five years where the case concerns national security or indecent images of children. It is a separate offence from whatever is being investigated, and people have been imprisoned under it where no other charge was ever brought.\n\nThe defence of not having the key\n\nSection 53 has a built-in defence: if you can show there is enough evidence to raise the issue that you did not have the key at the time the notice was served, the prosecution must then prove beyond reasonable doubt that you did. Genuinely forgetting a password is therefore a defence, but a court will test how plausible that is in your circumstances: how recently the device was used, whether you had set the password yourself, and what you said when first asked. Inventing a forgotten password is lying to the police and can be perverting the course of justice.\n\nSecrecy\n\nSection 54 allows a notice to include a secrecy requirement: in some cases you are not permitted to tell anyone (other than your lawyer) that you have received it. Breaching that is also an offence.\n\nWhat to do if you receive one\n\n- Do not respond immediately. Tell the officers you want to speak to a solicitor, and do so before saying anything about whether you know the password.\n- Keep the notice and note the time limit.\n- Your solicitor can check whether the notice was properly authorised and proportionate, and advise you on compliance or on challenging it.\n\nSection 49 notices are relatively rare: most investigations rely on forensic extraction or on persuasion. But if you are served with one, treat it as seriously as a charge.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T20:05:27.000Z","Sections","mdi:format-section","sections","Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is the power that turns a request for your password into a legal order. It is used…",544,{"id":151,"slug":152,"name":153,"content":154,"category_id":44,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":155,"updated_at":22,"category":145,"category_icon":146,"category_slug":147,"excerpt":156,"word_count":157,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"15","section-50","Section 50: when the police can demand your name and address","Normally you do not have to give the police your name and address. Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 is the main exception, and it is linked to anti-social behaviour.\n\nThe power\n\nA constable in uniform (and a Police Community Support Officer who has been designated the power) who has reason to believe that you have been acting, or are acting, in an anti-social manner can require you to give your name and address. \"Anti-social manner\" has the meaning in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998: behaviour that caused, or was likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not of the same household as you.\n\nThe offence\n\nIf you fail to give your name and address when required under section 50, or give a false or inaccurate one, you commit a summary offence punishable by a fine of up to level 3 (currently £1,000). You cannot be sent to prison for breaching section 50 itself, but you can be arrested so that your identity can be established.\n\nWhat the police must have\n\nThe officer must have a reasonable belief that you have been, or are, behaving anti-socially. Section 50 does not cover what you might do later: a belief that you are \"about to\" cause trouble is not enough. If it comes to a prosecution, the police must put evidence before the court of what you were doing and why they believed it amounted to anti-social behaviour; without that, you should not be convicted.\n\nIf you are stopped under section 50\n\n- Ask the officer to confirm they are using section 50 of the Police Reform Act, and what they believe you did that caused harassment, alarm or distress. You can record this on your phone.\n- You can state that you do not accept you were behaving anti-socially, and still give your details. Giving your details is not an admission of anything.\n- If you refuse, expect to be arrested. Officers sometimes de-arrest if you then provide details, but you may still be prosecuted.\n- Keep a note of the officer's number, the time and place, and the names of any witnesses.\n\nUnlawful use\n\nSection 50 has been used, and misused, at protests, in town centres on a Saturday night, and against young people simply hanging around. Where a court finds there were no grounds to believe you were behaving anti-socially, an arrest for refusing to give your details is unlawful, and a number of people have recovered damages for false imprisonment. A complaint to the force and advice from a civil actions solicitor are the routes to that.\n\nNot to be confused with\n\nSection 50 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 is a different power (\"seize and sift\") that allows the police to take away property, including computers, to examine elsewhere. If an officer mentions \"section 50\" when seizing devices, that is the one they mean. See our guide on how devices are seized.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-11-03T02:38:33.000Z","Normally you do not have to give the police your name and address. Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 is the main exception, and it is linked to…",526,{"id":159,"slug":160,"name":161,"content":162,"category_id":44,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":163,"updated_at":22,"category":145,"category_icon":146,"category_slug":147,"excerpt":164,"word_count":165,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"17","section-8","Section 8 PACE: how police search warrants work","A \"section 8\" is the standard police search warrant in England and Wales, issued under section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. If officers arrive to search your home for evidence and you are not under arrest, this is most likely the paperwork they are holding.\n\nWhat a magistrate has to be satisfied of\n\nA constable applies in writing (today usually electronically, and often by video link) to a justice of the peace. The magistrate can only issue the warrant if there are reasonable grounds for believing all of the following:\n\n- An indictable offence (one that can be tried at the Crown Court) has been committed.\n- There is material on the premises that is likely to be of substantial value to the investigation.\n- That material is likely to be relevant evidence, meaning it would be admissible at trial.\n- It does not consist of items subject to legal privilege, excluded material (such as confidential medical records) or special procedure material (such as journalistic material), which have their own stricter procedures.\n- And at least one of these applies: it is not practicable to communicate with anyone who could grant entry; entry will not be granted without a warrant; or the purpose of the search may be frustrated or seriously prejudiced unless officers can get in immediately.\n\nSpecific premises, all premises, and multiple entries\n\nSince 2006 a section 8 warrant can be one of two kinds:\n\n- A specific premises warrant names the address or addresses to be searched.\n- An all premises warrant covers any premises occupied or controlled by a named person, including ones the police cannot yet identify. The magistrate must be satisfied that it is necessary and that it is not reasonably practicable to list every address.\n\nA warrant can also authorise entry on more than one occasion, unlimited or up to a stated number, if the magistrate is satisfied that is necessary.\n\nSafeguards on how it is executed\n\nSections 15 and 16 of PACE, and Code B, set the rules. The warrant must be executed within three months of issue. Officers must identify themselves, produce the warrant and give you a copy, together with a Notice of Powers and Rights, before the search begins unless that is impracticable or would frustrate the search. The search must be at a reasonable hour unless that would defeat its purpose, and must go no further than is needed to find what the warrant covers. Officers may seize what the warrant describes, and under section 19 anything else they reasonably believe is evidence of an offence. Entry and search in breach of sections 15 or 16 is unlawful.\n\nOur guide to police raids covers what should happen on the day in detail.\n\nWhat this looks like in practice\n\nWarrant searches for evidence are often early in the morning, with enough officers to secure the exits. You will usually be asked to open the door and told who they are and why they are there; if nobody answers and officers believe someone is inside, they can force entry. Stay calm, ask to see the warrant, read it (check the address and the date), and ask for your copy and the Notice. You are entitled to have a friend or neighbour witness the search and to film it, as long as you do not obstruct. Keep a record of what is taken.\n\nIf the warrant was wrong\n\nWarrants obtained on inaccurate information, executed at the wrong address, out of time, or beyond their scope can be challenged. Evidence obtained may be excluded in any prosecution, and you may have a civil claim for trespass and damage. A solicitor who deals with actions against the police can advise.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T20:06:36.000Z","A \"section 8\" is the standard police search warrant in England and Wales, issued under section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. If officers…",652,{"id":56,"slug":167,"name":168,"content":169,"category_id":17,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":170,"updated_at":22,"category":23,"category_icon":24,"category_slug":25,"excerpt":171,"word_count":172,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"spd-sensory-processing-disorder","Sensory processing differences and police contact","Sensory processing differences (sometimes called sensory processing disorder, or SPD) mean the brain handles input from the senses differently. Sounds, lights, touch, textures, smells, temperature and the sense of where your body is in space can be experienced far more intensely than other people experience them, or barely registered at all. They are common in autistic people and people with ADHD, and can also exist on their own.\n\nA police encounter concentrates almost every difficult sensory input in one place: sirens and radios, flashing lights, being touched and held, handcuffs, a cell with constant lighting and echoing noise, strange smells, a change of clothes, and sudden transitions you did not choose. This guide is about what that can look like, and what you and the police can do about it.\n\nHow it can look to an officer\n\n- Covering ears, closing eyes, rocking, pacing or flapping to cope with input.\n- Freezing or going silent when overwhelmed, which can be mistaken for refusing to cooperate.\n- Pulling away from touch or handcuffs, which can be mistaken for resisting.\n- Shouting, swearing or lashing out during a meltdown, which can be mistaken for aggression.\n- Being unable to answer questions quickly, or answering oddly, which can be mistaken for intoxication or evasiveness.\n- Extreme distress at a change of clothing, at food textures, or at bright light.\n\nNone of these are offences, and none are evidence of guilt. But untrained officers may escalate rather than de-escalate, so the single most useful thing is to let them know.\n\nWhat to say\n\nIf you can, tell the first officer: \"I have a sensory processing condition. Loud noise and being touched are very hard for me. Please speak calmly and tell me before you touch me.\" A card in your wallet or a medical ID on your phone lock screen does the same job when you cannot speak. If a friend or family member is with you, they can say it for you.\n\nWhat the police should do\n\nPACE Code C treats anyone who may have difficulty understanding or communicating, or who may become confused or unclear under pressure because of a mental health condition or disorder, as vulnerable. In custody that means:\n\n- An appropriate adult must be called, in addition to your free solicitor, and must be present for interview and for your rights being explained.\n- A healthcare professional should assess you if there is any concern about your welfare.\n- The custody officer can and should make reasonable adjustments: a quieter cell away from the busiest area, lights dimmed, handcuffs removed as soon as safe, keeping your own clothing where it is not needed as evidence, allowing a comfort item, ear defenders or sunglasses where risk allows, and giving you more time to respond.\n- Interviews should be paced to you, with breaks when you need them.\n\nThese adjustments are also a duty under the Equality Act 2010 if your condition amounts to a disability, which long-term sensory processing differences usually do.\n\nIf you are a parent or carer\n\nAsk the custody officer directly for the adjustments above and offer to act as appropriate adult or to brief the one appointed. Bring the things that help: familiar clothing, a fidget item, headphones, a written list of triggers and what calms them. Ask that the solicitor is told about the condition before interview.\n\nGetting help and evidence\n\nA GP can refer you (or your child) to an occupational therapist for a sensory assessment; a written report is useful both for everyday support and if you ever need to show the police or a court that your reactions have a medical explanation. The National Autistic Society, the ADHD Foundation and local advocacy services can advise on alert cards and on making a complaint if you were treated badly.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T20:00:42.000Z","Sensory processing differences (sometimes called sensory processing disorder, or SPD) mean the brain handles input from the senses differently. Sounds…",667,{"id":174,"slug":175,"name":176,"content":177,"category_id":178,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":179,"updated_at":22,"category":180,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":182,"excerpt":183,"word_count":184,"reading_time":185,"is_official":29},"20","stop-and-question-police-powers","Stop and account: do you have to answer police questions?","A police officer can approach you at any time and ask who you are, what you are doing or where you are going. This is often called \"stop and account\". It is a conversation, not a detention, and the law treats it very differently from a stop and search.\n\nWhat the officer can ask\n\nThey might ask:\n\n- Your name and where you live.\n- What you are doing in the area.\n- Where you have come from or are going.\n- Whether you can explain something they have seen.\n\nDo you have to answer?\n\nIn most situations, no. You do not have to stop, and you do not have to answer questions. You are free to walk away unless the officer tells you that you are being detained or arrested. Refusing to answer, on its own, cannot be used as the reasonable grounds needed to search or arrest you.\n\nThere are specific situations where you do have to give details:\n\n- If an officer in uniform reasonably believes you have been behaving in an anti-social way, they can require your name and address under section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002. Refusing or giving false details is an offence (see our Section 50 guide).\n- If you are driving, you must give your name, address and date of birth when asked, and produce your licence if required.\n- If you are being reported for an offence, refusing to identify yourself can make an arrest \"necessary\", which otherwise might not be the case.\n\nPractical points\n\nStaying calm and polite usually ends the encounter quickest. You can ask the officer why they are speaking to you, and for their name and station. If they want to search you, the rules change: they must have grounds, tell you the power they are using, and give you a record. Forces no longer have to record stop and account encounters, so if something about the encounter concerns you, make your own note of the time, place and officer details as soon as you can.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","1","2022-04-13T20:10:15.000Z","Stop and Search","mdi:account-search","stop-and-search","A police officer can approach you at any time and ask who you are, what you are doing or where you are going. This is often called \"stop and account\". It is…",372,2,{"id":187,"slug":188,"name":189,"content":190,"category_id":178,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":191,"updated_at":192,"category":180,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":182,"excerpt":193,"word_count":194,"reading_time":195,"is_official":29},"19","stop-and-search-police-powers","Stop and search: what the police can and can't do","Police in England and Wales can stop and search you in public only if they have a legal power to do so, and in almost every case they need reasonable grounds to suspect you are carrying something specific. This guide explains when a search is allowed, what the officer must tell you, what you do and do not have to do, and how to get a record or complain afterwards.\n\nWhen can the police stop and search you?\n\nMost searches are carried out under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) or section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. For these, the officer must have reasonable grounds to suspect you are carrying:\n\n- Controlled drugs.\n- An offensive weapon, or a knife or other bladed article.\n- Stolen property.\n- Something that could be used for burglary, theft, fraud or criminal damage, such as a crowbar, a screwdriver or a stolen bank card.\n- Fireworks that you are not allowed to have.\n\nReasonable grounds means a genuine, objective reason connected to you or the situation, such as a description from a witness, seeing something being passed between people, or intelligence about a particular place at a particular time. The rules in PACE Code A say that grounds cannot be based on your race, religion, age, appearance, clothing, hairstyle or the fact that you have been in trouble before. Being in a high-crime area or being with people who are suspected of something is not, on its own, enough. There is a separate guide on this site, What counts as reasonable suspicion?, that goes into the detail.\n\nSearches without reasonable suspicion\n\nThere are a few situations where the police can search you even though they have no reason to suspect you personally:\n\n- Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. A senior officer can authorise searches for weapons in a defined area for up to 24 hours, which can be extended to 48, where serious violence is expected or has happened. Officers do not need grounds for each person, but the authorisation itself must exist. You can ask which power is being used and, afterwards, check that an authorisation was in force.\n- Section 60AA of the same Act lets an officer require you to remove a face covering in an area where this has been authorised, if they believe you are wearing it to hide your identity.\n- Section 47A of the Terrorism Act 2000. A very senior officer can authorise searches in an area for a limited period where an act of terrorism is suspected. These authorisations are rare.\n- Entering some places. Searches at airports, at certain sports grounds and when you enter a court building or a prison are carried out under separate rules, usually as a condition of entry.\n\nA traffic stop is different again. Under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 a uniformed officer can require any vehicle to stop, and can ask for your licence and details, but that does not by itself give them a power to search you or the car. A search of the car needs one of the powers above.\n\nWhat the officer must tell you before searching\n\nBefore a search starts, the officer must take reasonable steps to tell you:\n\n- Their name, or their number if the search is connected with terrorism, and the police station they work from.\n- What they are looking for.\n- The grounds for the search, in other words what makes them suspect you.\n- The legal power they are using.\n- That you are entitled to a record of the search, and how you will get it.\n\nIf the officer is not in uniform they must show you their warrant card. Officers are trained to remember these steps with the acronym GOWISELY: Grounds, Object, Warrant card, Identity, Station, Entitlement to a record, Legal power, and You are being detained for the purpose of a search. If any of these were missed, say so in your complaint; a search that does not follow Code A may be unlawful.\n\nWhat you have to do, and what you do not\n\n- You do not have to answer questions, give your name or address, or explain where you are going. Refusing to answer is not a ground for a search and cannot be used as one.\n- You do have to stay while the search is carried out. You are being detained for the search, and walking away or struggling can lead to arrest for obstruction. The detention must last only as long as the search reasonably needs.\n- Officers can use reasonable force to carry out a lawful search if you refuse to cooperate. Staying calm, keeping your hands visible and saying clearly that you do not consent but will not resist protects you and makes any later complaint stronger.\n- The officer will ask you to describe your own ethnicity for the record. You can decline, and the officer will record what they observe instead.\n- You can ask for the officer's body-worn camera to be switched on. Most forces require it to be on for every search.\n\nWhat the search can involve\n\n- In public, the officer can only ask you to remove an outer coat, a jacket and gloves. They can look inside your pockets and bags, and feel the outside of your clothing.\n- Under section 60AA or an authorised terrorism search you can also be required to remove anything you are wearing to conceal your identity, such as a mask or scarf.\n- Anything beyond that, such as removing a jumper, shoes or headwear, must be done out of public view, for example in a police van or at a station, by an officer of the same sex as you and with no one of the opposite sex present unless you ask for them to be there.\n- A search that exposes intimate parts of the body (a strip search) is not part of a stop and search in the street. It can only happen at a police station or a similar private place, must be justified, and if you are under 18 an appropriate adult must normally be present. PACE Code C sets out the safeguards. There is a separate guide on this site, Removing clothing during a stop and search, covering this in detail.\n- The officer can look at items they find, but the power is to search for the object they told you about. Reading through your phone is not part of a street search; a phone can only be examined or seized under a separate power, usually after an arrest.\n- An unattended vehicle can be searched if the grounds exist. The officer must leave a notice inside saying it was searched, which station to contact and that you can claim compensation for any damage.\n\nChildren and vulnerable people\n\nA person of any age can be stopped and searched in public. There is no requirement for a parent or appropriate adult to be present for a street search, but officers must take extra care with children and anyone who appears vulnerable, must explain what is happening in a way they understand, and must not carry out any search involving more than outer clothing without an appropriate adult if the person is under 18 or vulnerable. If your child has been searched, you can ask the force for the record and the body-worn footage on their behalf.\n\nYour rights afterwards\n\n- You are entitled to a record of the search. Most forces record it electronically and give you a receipt or a reference number at the time. If you were not given a record, you can ask the force for a copy at any time within three months.\n- The record must show the officer's details, the date, time and place, what they were looking for, the grounds, the power used and whether anything was found. Check that the grounds written down match what you were told.\n- Nothing being found does not mean the search was unlawful, but it does mean the grounds should be looked at closely if you think they were weak.\n- Body-worn video is usually kept for a limited time, often around a month, unless a complaint or a case is opened. Ask for it quickly if you want it preserved.\n\nIf you think the search was wrong\n\n1. Get the record. Ask for it at the time, or write to the force quoting the date, time and place.\n\n2. Complain to the force. Every force has a professional standards department that must record your complaint. Say what was missed or wrong: no grounds given, grounds that were based on appearance, clothing removed in public, force used without need, or no record offered. Quote the search record and ask for the body-worn footage to be preserved.\n\n3. Escalate if needed. If you are unhappy with the force's handling, you can ask for a review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct or the local policing body, depending on the type of complaint. The force must tell you which applies.\n\n4. Community scrutiny. Most forces have a stop and search scrutiny panel of local residents who review records and footage. You can ask for your search to be considered.\n\n5. Legal action. A search without a lawful power or grounds is an assault and false imprisonment in law. A solicitor can advise on a civil claim for damages. Advice at a police station is free for everyone, and many criminal solicitors offer a first discussion without charge.\n\nQuick answers\n\nDo I have to give my name? No. A stop and search does not require you to identify yourself.\n\nCan they search me because I smell of cannabis? Forces differ. Smell alone is widely regarded as weak grounds and the College of Policing guidance says it should not usually be the only factor. Ask what else the grounds are, and check the record.\n\nCan they search my car? Yes, under the same powers, if the grounds exist. A traffic stop on its own is not a search power.\n\nCan they search my home? Not under stop and search powers. Entering and searching your home needs a warrant, your consent, or a separate power such as a search after arrest. See the guide on this site about searches of your home.\n\nCan I film the search? Yes. You can film in a public place as long as you do not obstruct the officer.\n\nWhat if I was stopped but not searched? That is a stop and account, which is covered in its own guide. You do not have to answer, and there is no record unless you ask for one in forces that still provide them.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice, based on PACE Code A and Code C as in force in 2026. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor as soon as possible.\n","2022-04-13T20:09:16.000Z","2026-10-07T08:31:25.000Z","Police in England and Wales can stop and search you in public only if they have a legal power to do so, and in almost every case they need reasonable grounds…",1843,10,{"id":197,"slug":198,"name":199,"content":200,"category_id":124,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":201,"updated_at":22,"category":126,"category_icon":127,"category_slug":128,"excerpt":202,"word_count":203,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"22","rights-on-refusing-entry-if-the-police-are-at-your-door","The police are at your door: do you have to let them in?","In general, the police have no right to come into your home without your permission. If they ask to come in and you say no, they must leave, unless they have a specific legal power to enter.\n\nWhen they can come in without your permission\n\nThe main powers are in section 17 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the common law. Officers can enter without a warrant:\n\n- To arrest someone for an indictable offence, if they reasonably believe that person is inside.\n- To execute an arrest warrant or a warrant of commitment.\n- To save life or limb, or to prevent serious damage to property.\n- To recapture someone who has escaped from lawful custody.\n- To deal with or prevent a breach of the peace, for example a violent disturbance they can hear from outside.\n- In close pursuit of someone they reasonably believe has committed, or attempted, an indictable offence.\n- After an arrest, to search the arrested person's premises (section 18, authorised by an inspector) or the premises where they were arrested (section 32).\n- Under various other statutes that give specific entry powers, for example to check on children at risk or under licensing law.\n\nThey can also enter with a search warrant, most commonly a section 8 PACE warrant, or a Misuse of Drugs Act warrant. They do not have to show the warrant before entering if that would allow someone to escape or evidence to be destroyed, but they must show it and give you a copy as soon as practicable.\n\nA knock at the door\n\nIf officers knock and want to \"have a word\", you can speak to them on the doorstep or through the door. You can ask:\n\n- Why they are there.\n- Whether they have a warrant, and to see it.\n- Which legal power they are relying on if they say they are coming in anyway.\n\nIf they have no power and no warrant, you can politely decline to let them in. Refusing entry is not an offence and is not, on its own, grounds for suspicion. If they claim a power, do not physically resist: obstructing an officer acting lawfully is an offence, and the place to challenge an unlawful entry is a complaint or a claim afterwards, not the hallway.\n\nConsent\n\nIf you do let officers in, that is consent, and anything they see in plain view can be seized if it is evidence. Consent to a search should be recorded in writing, and you can limit or withdraw it. A landlord cannot consent to a search of a tenant's home; a housemate can only consent to shared areas and their own room.\n\nIf they come in anyway\n\nStay calm, do not obstruct, and note the time, the officers' names or numbers and what they said their power was. Ask for a Notice of Powers and Rights. You are entitled to film. Afterwards, if you believe the entry was unlawful, see our guide to police raids for how to complain and claim.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T20:14:59.000Z","In general, the police have no right to come into your home without your permission. If they ask to come in and you say no, they must leave, unless they have…",541,{"id":205,"slug":206,"name":207,"content":208,"category_id":56,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":209,"updated_at":22,"category":58,"category_icon":59,"category_slug":60,"excerpt":210,"word_count":211,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"2","young-people-under-18-and-vulnerable-adults","Under 18 or vulnerable: the appropriate adult and your extra protections","If you are under 18, or an adult who is vulnerable because of a mental health condition, learning disability, autism or similar, the law gives you extra protection at the police station. The centrepiece is the appropriate adult.\n\nWho counts\n\n- Anyone under 18 is treated as a child (a \"juvenile\") for these purposes, including 17-year-olds.\n- An adult is vulnerable if, because of a mental health condition or mental disorder, they may have difficulty understanding or communicating, may not appreciate the significance of what is said to them or of their answers, or may be particularly prone to becoming confused, giving unreliable or misleading information, or agreeing with suggestions without meaning to. If there is any reason to suspect this, the police must treat the person as vulnerable: no diagnosis is required.\n\nTelling someone you have been arrested\n\nThe custody officer must find out who is responsible for your welfare if you are under 18 (a parent, guardian, carer or the local authority) and tell them as soon as practicable that you have been arrested, why, and where you are. For vulnerable adults, the usual right to have someone informed applies, and the custody officer should also consider whether a carer needs to be contacted.\n\nThe appropriate adult\n\nAn appropriate adult is someone whose job is to support you, make sure you understand what is happening, and check that the police are treating you fairly. They are not your lawyer, and you should have a solicitor as well. An appropriate adult can be:\n\n- Your parent, guardian or carer.\n- A social worker, or for vulnerable adults a mental health professional or carer.\n- Another responsible adult aged 18 or over who is not connected to the police.\n- A trained volunteer from a local appropriate adult scheme. The National Appropriate Adult Network coordinates these across England and Wales, and the local authority must provide one for children where no family member is suitable.\n\nSomeone cannot act as appropriate adult if they are a suspect, a victim or witness in the case, involved in the investigation, or have received an admission from you before acting.\n\nWhat the appropriate adult must be present for\n\n- When you are told your rights and given the written notice of them. The rights must be explained again in their presence.\n- Any interview. You should not be interviewed without them, except in a genuine emergency authorised by a superintendent.\n- Any strip search or intimate search (unless you ask for them not to be, and they agree).\n- When you are charged, cautioned, or given an out-of-court disposal such as a youth caution.\n- Identification procedures and the taking of samples.\n\nThey can speak to you privately, ask for a solicitor on your behalf, and object during interview if questions are unfair.\n\nOther protections for under-18s\n\n- You must not be placed in a cell unless there is no other secure accommodation and the custody officer considers it is not practicable to supervise you otherwise, or a cell is more comfortable than the alternative. You must never be held with adults.\n- If you are charged and bail is refused, you must be transferred to local authority accommodation unless it is impracticable or, for 12 to 17-year-olds, no secure accommodation is available and keeping you in police custody is necessary to protect the public.\n- Youth cautions and youth conditional cautions replace adult cautions, and must be given with an appropriate adult present.\n- Any trial will normally be in the youth court, which is less formal and closed to the public.\n\nOther protections for vulnerable adults\n\n- A healthcare professional should assess you if there is any concern about your health, and the custody officer should consider reasonable adjustments (quieter cell, lighting, more frequent checks, allowing comfort items).\n- Police stations should not be used as a place of safety under the Mental Health Act except in exceptional circumstances for adults, and never for children.\n- You are entitled to reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.\n\nIf these rules were not followed\n\nAn interview conducted without an appropriate adult when one was required can be excluded as evidence. Tell your solicitor, and keep the custody record, which should show when the appropriate adult was called and arrived. A complaint to the force is also open to you or your family.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T19:56:08.000Z","If you are under 18, or an adult who is vulnerable because of a mental health condition, learning disability, autism or similar, the law gives you extra…",760,{"id":35,"slug":213,"name":214,"content":215,"category_id":78,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":216,"updated_at":22,"category":80,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":82,"excerpt":217,"word_count":218,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"what-is-the-cell-like-at-the-custody-suite","What a police custody cell is like","Being locked in a police cell is unpleasant and, for most people, frightening. Knowing what to expect takes some of the fear out of it.\n\nThe cell\n\nA custody cell is a small, bare room with a raised concrete or moulded bench and a thin mattress, a blanket, and a toilet in the cell itself, usually with only a low partition for privacy. Many cells have a CCTV camera; where there is one, the toilet area should be pixelated or screened on the monitor. There is no window you can open, lighting is usually on 24 hours (dimmed at night), and there is a call button or intercom to speak to staff. Newer suites built since the 2000s are cleaner and better ventilated; some older ones are not.\n\nFood, drink and basics\n\n- You should be offered two light meals and one main meal in any 24 hours, with drinks at mealtimes and on reasonable request. Meals are usually microwaved; staff can accommodate dietary and religious needs if you tell them.\n- You cannot smoke or vape. Many suites offer nicotine replacement; ask.\n- You can ask for a shower and basic toiletries, and for replacement clothing if yours is taken for evidence.\n- If you are held for more than 24 hours you should be offered brief outdoor exercise where the suite has a yard.\n- If you take prescribed medication, tell the custody officer. A healthcare professional (nurse or doctor) can be called to see you, and must be called if you are injured, unwell, or at risk.\n\nRest\n\nYou must be allowed a continuous period of at least eight hours' rest in any 24 hours, normally at night, free from questioning. Interviews should not take place during that time except in limited circumstances.\n\nChecks on you\n\nStaff must check on you at least every hour, and much more often (or constantly) if you are intoxicated, injured, distressed or at risk of self-harm. Tell the custody officer honestly about drink, drugs, medical conditions and how you are feeling. It is not a sign of weakness and it changes how you are looked after.\n\nIf you are under 18 or vulnerable\n\nTell staff. You must have an appropriate adult, you must be kept apart from adult detainees, and if you are autistic, have ADHD, a learning disability or a mental health condition you can ask for adjustments: lower lighting, less noise, your own clothing where possible, or a quieter cell. A police station should not be used as a \"place of safety\" for a child in mental health crisis at all, and only exceptionally for an adult.\n\nYour custody record\n\nEverything that happens to you in custody, including meals, checks, medication and requests, is logged in a custody record. You are entitled to a copy for 12 months after release. If something went wrong, that record is the first piece of evidence.\n\nBeing polite and calm with custody staff tends to make the stay shorter and easier. Being quiet about your health does not: speak up.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T19:55:25.000Z","Being locked in a police cell is unpleasant and, for most people, frightening. Knowing what to expect takes some of the fear out of it. The cell A custody…",538,{"id":220,"slug":221,"name":222,"content":223,"category_id":52,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":224,"updated_at":22,"category":69,"category_icon":70,"category_slug":71,"excerpt":225,"word_count":226,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"12","what-is-my-cell-like-in-prison","What a prison cell is like","Cells vary a lot between prisons, and between Victorian local prisons and modern builds, but the basics are similar across England and Wales.\n\nThe room\n\nA typical cell is roughly the size of a small bathroom, around 6 to 8 square metres. It was usually designed for one person; because of overcrowding, many hold two, with a bunk bed. You can expect:\n\n- A bed with a thin mattress, pillow and bedding.\n- A toilet, usually in a corner. In shared cells it is normally screened by a low wall or a curtain rather than a door. In Victorian prisons the toilet was retrofitted and privacy is minimal.\n- A small sink with cold water, and in newer cells hot water too.\n- A desk or shelf, a chair or stool, and a locker or cupboard.\n- A window with bars; in most cells the window opens only a few centimetres or has a vent, so ventilation and temperature are a constant complaint in summer.\n- A cell bell to call staff, and an observation panel in the door.\n- A kettle in most prisons, and a TV if you are on standard or enhanced level of the incentives scheme (a small weekly charge applies).\n- In many newer or refurbished prisons, an in-cell phone for calls to approved numbers, and sometimes a laptop or kiosk for applications and messaging.\n\nSharing\n\nIf you share, you will be risk-assessed to make sure you are not placed with someone who poses a danger to you. If you are placed with someone you have a genuine reason to fear, tell an officer at once. Smoking is banned in all prisons in England and Wales; vapes can be bought from the canteen.\n\nTime in the cell\n\nHow long you spend locked up depends on the prison's regime and staffing. In a well-run training prison you may be out most of the day for work, education and association. In a struggling local prison it is not unusual to be locked up for 22 hours a day, particularly at weekends. The Inspectorate of Prisons report for each prison will tell you what to expect.\n\nMaking it bearable\n\nYou can have a limited amount of personal property: photos, books, a radio, writing materials, and clothing if permitted. Keep the cell clean (cleaning materials are provided), get on a work or education list as soon as you can, and use association time. If a cell is in an unacceptable state (broken toilet, no heating, infestation), report it to your personal officer and if nothing happens, put in a complaint and write to the Independent Monitoring Board.","2022-04-14T08:02:23.000Z","Cells vary a lot between prisons, and between Victorian local prisons and modern builds, but the basics are similar across England and Wales. The room A…",438,{"id":228,"slug":229,"name":230,"content":231,"category_id":178,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":232,"updated_at":22,"category":180,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":182,"excerpt":233,"word_count":234,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"18","reasonable-suspicion","What counts as reasonable suspicion?","Most stop and search powers can only be used when an officer has \"reasonable grounds for suspicion\" that you are carrying something specific: drugs, a weapon, stolen property, or an item that could be used to commit a crime. The rule exists so that an officer has to point to an objective reason for stopping you, not just a feeling that you \"looked suspicious\".\n\nThe test, and where it comes from\n\nThe main power is section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), with similar powers in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968. How officers must apply them is set out in PACE Code A, which is binding guidance.\n\nCode A says reasonable grounds have two parts:\n\n- The officer must genuinely suspect they will find the item they are looking for.\n- That suspicion must be based on facts, information or intelligence, or on the way you are behaving, that a reasonable person would also find suspicious.\n\nExamples that can count include a description of a suspect that you match, intelligence about you or the location, seeing you hide something as officers approach, or the smell of cannabis combined with other factors. A single factor on its own is often weak; officers are expected to weigh the whole picture.\n\nWhat can never be a reason on its own\n\nCode A is explicit that reasonable grounds cannot be based on personal factors alone. The following are not grounds to search you:\n\n- Your race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender or how you are dressed.\n- The fact that you have previous convictions or are known to the police.\n- Being in a \"high crime\" area, by itself.\n- Refusing to answer questions or to account for yourself (see our guide to stop and account).\n- Generalisations or stereotypes about a group of people.\n\nBeing in a high-crime area, or with someone who is suspected, can be part of the picture, but there has to be something about you and your situation that adds to it.\n\nSearches without suspicion\n\nThere is one well-known exception. Under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, an officer of at least inspector rank can authorise searches without reasonable suspicion in a defined area for up to 24 hours (extendable to 48) where serious violence is anticipated or weapons are being carried. If you are searched under section 60 the officer should tell you so. Similar no-suspicion powers exist under terrorism legislation.\n\nWhy this matters\n\nHome Office statistics on stop and search, published every year, have consistently shown that Black people are stopped and searched several times more often than White people relative to population, and that most searches find nothing. The reasonable suspicion requirement is one of the main safeguards against unconscious bias and discriminatory policing, which is why proposals to water it down attract strong criticism. Every search should be recorded, and forces are expected to monitor and explain disparities to community scrutiny panels.\n\nIf you think a search was unjustified\n\nAsk for the search record, or how to get a copy; you are entitled to one if you ask within three months. Note the officer's name or number and whether body-worn video was running. You can complain to the force, or ask your local community scrutiny panel to review the search. Where a search was clearly unlawful, you may also have a civil claim.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T20:08:38.000Z","Most stop and search powers can only be used when an officer has \"reasonable grounds for suspicion\" that you are carrying something specific: drugs, a…",603,{"id":236,"slug":237,"name":238,"content":239,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":243,"word_count":244,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"39","what-does-adjourned-mean","What does adjourned mean, and what happens next?","Adjourned means the hearing has been put off to another time. It can mean a short break of an hour, a move to later the same day, or a postponement to a new date weeks away. The case has not ended, and nothing has been decided about guilt or sentence. If you were on bail, you remain on bail on the same conditions unless the court changes them.\n\nWhy hearings are adjourned\n\n- A report is not ready, most often a pre-sentence report before sentence.\n- Evidence has not been served, or the prosecution needs more time to obtain it.\n- A witness is unavailable or has not attended.\n- A defendant is unwell, has not attended, or is unrepresented and needs time to get a solicitor.\n- An interpreter has not arrived.\n- The courtroom is needed for another case, or the judge has run out of time.\n- A plea has changed and sentence must be prepared for.\n\nWords that mean something similar\n\n- Adjourned: postponed to a later time or date, with the case still live.\n- Vacated: the date has been cancelled, usually before the day, and a new one will be fixed. You do not need to attend the vacated date.\n- Ineffective trial: a trial that could not start on the day it was listed, for example because a witness did not attend. It is re-listed.\n- Cracked trial: a trial that did not need to go ahead because the defendant pleaded guilty on the day or the prosecution dropped the case. The case is not re-listed as a trial.\n- Stood down: put back until later the same day.\n- Adjourned sine die: adjourned without a date. Rare in criminal cases; usually the court or the parties must apply to re-list.\n- Discontinued or dismissed: the case has ended. That is not an adjournment.\n\nWhat happens next\n\nThe court usually fixes the new date at the time of adjourning and tells you in the courtroom. If not, you will get a letter, and your solicitor will be notified by the court. Check with your solicitor within a few days if you have heard nothing. If you were a witness, the Witness Care Unit will contact you with the new date.\n\nCan I ask for an adjournment?\n\nYes, through your solicitor, and the earlier the better. The court will want a reason and may want evidence, for example a medical certificate or proof of a booked commitment. Adjournments are not granted automatically, and asking on the morning of the hearing without a good reason is unlikely to succeed. Courts are especially reluctant to adjourn trials.\n\nBail and custody\n\nIf you are on bail, the same conditions continue until the new date unless the judge varies them. If you are in custody, the adjournment does not change that unless a bail application is made and granted. Custody time limits apply to how long someone can be held before trial, and an adjournment that would exceed them needs a specific decision.\n\nWhat the daily list shows\n\nAn adjourned case is simply removed from the day's list or marked as adjourned in the live status. Nothing about the reason is published. The new hearing appears on the list for its new date in the usual way.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","Going to court","mdi:gavel","going-to-court","Adjourned means the hearing has been put off to another time. It can mean a short break of an hour, a move to later the same day, or a postponement to a new…",568,{"id":246,"slug":247,"name":248,"content":249,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":250,"word_count":251,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"40","what-does-not-before-mean-on-a-court-list","What does 'not before' mean on a court list?","\"Not before\", often written NB on a court list, means the hearing will not start before the time shown, but it may start later. A case marked \"not before 11:30\" could be called at 11:30, at midday or in the afternoon, depending on how the courtroom's other work goes. You must be at court by the time shown.\n\nWhy courts list cases this way\n\nA courtroom usually has several cases in a day: a short mention at 10am, a sentence at 10:30, a trial continuing after that. The judge cannot know exactly when each will finish, so later cases are given a \"not before\" time instead of a fixed one. It protects you from having to be there at 10am for a case that cannot possibly be reached until the afternoon.\n\nThe times you will see on a daily list\n\n- 10:00, or any plain time. The case is listed to start at that time. Several cases may share it; they are taken in the order the court decides.\n- Not before 11:00, or NB 11:00. Not earlier than that; possibly later.\n- 2:00pm or 14:00. An afternoon listing; the court sits again after lunch, usually from 2pm.\n- Floating, or floater. No fixed courtroom or time. The case goes into the first courtroom that becomes free. Attend from the start of the day.\n- Warned list. The case may be called on any day in the warned period at short notice; it will only appear on the daily list once it is called. See the guide on warned lists.\n- First on, second on. The order in which cases will be taken in that courtroom.\n- Reserved. The case is kept for a particular judge, usually one who has dealt with it before.\n- For mention (10 mins), sentence (30 mins), trial (2 days). A time estimate, not a start time.\n- Part heard. The case started on an earlier day and continues.\n- Video link, PVL, CVP. The defendant, or a witness, is appearing by video rather than in person.\n\nWhat time should I arrive?\n\nBe inside the building and reporting to the usher at least 30 minutes before the time on the list, and earlier at large courts where security queues build up in the morning. If you are listed at 10am, aim to be through security by 9:30. If you are \"not before 2pm\", be there by 1:30. Once you have checked in, the usher knows you are there and will call you.\n\nCan I leave and come back?\n\nOnly if the usher tells you it is safe to. Tell them where you are going and keep your phone on. If the court calls your case and you are not there, a defendant on bail can have a warrant issued, and a witness can be found to be in contempt.\n\nTimes change during the day\n\nDaily lists are updated as cases are moved, and the version on the court's screens is the authoritative one. The list published the day before is a plan, not a promise. Check the screens when you arrive and listen for the usher.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","\"Not before\", often written NB on a court list, means the hearing will not start before the time shown, but it may start later. A case marked \"not before…",540,{"id":253,"slug":254,"name":255,"content":256,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":257,"word_count":258,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"41","what-happens-at-a-crown-court-trial","What happens at a Crown Court trial?","A Crown Court trial decides whether a defendant who has pleaded not guilty is guilty or not guilty. A jury of twelve members of the public decides the facts and a judge decides the law, manages the hearing and passes sentence if there is a conviction. Most trials last between one day and a week; serious cases can run for months.\n\nBefore the trial starts\n\nArrive before the time on the daily list, usually 10am or a \"not before\" time, and tell the usher for your courtroom that you are there. Defendants on bail surrender to the court; defendants in custody are brought up from the cells. Witnesses wait separately, and prosecution witnesses are looked after by the Witness Service. Juries are selected from a larger panel, and either side can challenge a juror for cause, although this is rare.\n\nThe order of a trial\n\n1. The jury is sworn and the charges are read.\n\n2. Prosecution opening. The prosecution advocate tells the jury what the case is about and what evidence they will hear.\n\n3. Prosecution evidence. Witnesses give evidence in chief, are cross-examined by the defence, and may be re-examined. Statements that are not disputed can be read. Exhibits such as CCTV, phone records and documents are shown.\n\n4. Half time. After the prosecution case the defence can argue there is no case to answer. If the judge agrees, the defendant is found not guilty without the defence calling evidence.\n\n5. Defence evidence. The defendant may give evidence, but does not have to. If they choose not to, the jury can be told it may draw conclusions from that silence in some circumstances. Defence witnesses follow.\n\n6. Closing speeches. The prosecution, then the defence, address the jury.\n\n7. Summing up. The judge explains the law the jury must apply and summarises the evidence.\n\n8. Verdict. The jury retires. It must first try to reach a unanimous verdict. After at least two hours, and often much longer, the judge may accept a majority verdict of at least ten to two. If the jury cannot agree it is discharged and the prosecution decides whether to seek a retrial.\n\nAfter the verdict\n\nA not guilty verdict ends the case; the defendant is free to go and bail ends. After a guilty verdict the judge either sentences at once or adjourns for a pre-sentence report, and decides whether the defendant is remanded in custody or on bail until then.\n\nTerms you will see on the daily list\n\n- Trial, with a time estimate, for example \"trial (3 days)\".\n- Part heard: the trial started on an earlier day and is continuing.\n- Floating or floater: no fixed courtroom; it goes into the first one free.\n- Not before: the time before which it will not start.\n- Jury out: the jury is deliberating.\n\nAttending as a member of the public\n\nTrials are public. You can sit in the public gallery without booking. Switch your phone off, do not record or photograph anything, do not speak to jurors, and leave when asked. Some evidence is heard with the public excluded, and reporting restrictions may apply even though you can watch.\n\nMagistrates' court trials\n\nIn the magistrates' court there is no jury: two or three magistrates, or a district judge, decide both the facts and the law. The order is the same but shorter, and most trials finish in a day.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A Crown Court trial decides whether a defendant who has pleaded not guilty is guilty or not guilty. A jury of twelve members of the public decides the facts…",586,{"id":260,"slug":261,"name":262,"content":263,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":264,"word_count":265,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"42","what-happens-at-a-sentencing-hearing","What happens at a sentencing hearing?","A sentencing hearing is where the judge or magistrates decide the punishment after a guilty plea or a conviction at trial. It can happen on the same day as the plea or verdict, but in the Crown Court it is usually listed a few weeks later so that reports can be prepared.\n\nBefore the hearing\n\n- Pre-sentence report. In most cases the court asks the probation service for a report. A probation officer interviews you, usually at the court or by phone, and writes about your circumstances, the offence, the risk you pose and which sentence would be suitable. Attend that interview: a missed interview delays sentence and does not help you.\n- Other reports. The court may also order a psychiatric or psychological report, or a drug or alcohol assessment.\n- Your advocate prepares mitigation: the things that count in your favour, such as your personal circumstances, remorse, steps you have taken since the offence, references from employers or others, and the effect a sentence would have on dependants. Give your solicitor anything useful well before the day.\n\nWhat happens on the day\n\n1. The prosecution outlines the facts of the offence, your previous convictions if any, and refers to the sentencing guidelines. Any victim personal statement is read or summarised.\n\n2. The judge reads the pre-sentence report, which is not usually read out.\n\n3. Your advocate speaks in mitigation and suggests where the case falls within the guidelines.\n\n4. The judge passes sentence, explaining the reasons, the starting point under the guidelines, the aggravating and mitigating factors, and the credit given for any guilty plea.\n\nPossible outcomes\n\n- Immediate custody: prison, or a young offender institution if you are under 21.\n- A suspended sentence: a prison term that is not served unless you breach conditions or reoffend within the period set, usually with requirements attached.\n- A community order with requirements such as unpaid work, rehabilitation activity, a curfew or a programme.\n- A fine, a conditional discharge or an absolute discharge.\n- Orders that go with the sentence: a surcharge, prosecution costs, compensation to the victim, driving disqualification, a restraining order, forfeiture, or a sexual harm prevention order.\n\nBe ready for custody\n\nIf immediate custody is a realistic possibility, your solicitor will tell you. Bring a small bag with essentials, make arrangements for children, pets, work and rent, and bring the phone numbers you will need. Property is taken from you at the court cells and returned later.\n\nAttendance\n\nYou must attend unless the court has excused you. Failing to attend your own sentencing hearing is itself an offence and the court can sentence you in your absence for some matters.\n\nTime estimate and listing\n\nA sentencing hearing is often listed with an estimate of 30 minutes to an hour, but several may be listed together and the court can run late. On the daily list it appears as \"sentence\" or \"for sentence\", with the courtroom, judge and a time.\n\nAfter sentence\n\nYou have 28 days to appeal against sentence from the Crown Court, and 21 days from the magistrates' court. Your advocate will advise whether there are grounds. If you are sent to prison, your solicitor can visit you to discuss this.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A sentencing hearing is where the judge or magistrates decide the punishment after a guilty plea or a conviction at trial. It can happen on the same day as…",556,{"id":124,"slug":267,"name":268,"content":269,"category_id":205,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":270,"updated_at":22,"category":271,"category_icon":272,"category_slug":273,"excerpt":274,"word_count":275,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"when-youre-arrested","What happens when you're arrested","An arrest is the point at which you are no longer free to leave. Here is what should happen, step by step, in England and Wales.\n\nAt the moment of arrest\n\nThe officer must tell you that you are under arrest, what offence they suspect you of, and why arresting you is necessary (for example to establish your name, to allow a prompt investigation, or to prevent harm). They must also caution you:\n\n\"You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.\"\n\nUnder section 24 of PACE an officer needs two things: reasonable grounds to suspect you have committed, are committing or are about to commit an offence, and a reason why arrest is necessary. Being arrested is not the same as being charged, and most arrests do not end in a charge.\n\nYou may be searched at the scene for anything that could help you escape, that could be evidence, or that could cause injury. Handcuffs should only be used where the officer judges them necessary and proportionate.\n\nGetting to the station\n\nYou must be taken to a police station as soon as practicable, unless your presence is needed elsewhere first (for example to search an address under section 18 or 32 of PACE). Officers can use reasonable force if you resist.\n\nBooking in\n\nAt the station a custody officer, independent of the investigation, decides whether there are grounds to detain you. You will be told your rights and given a written notice of them, including:\n\n- The right to free, independent legal advice at any time, in private.\n- The right to have someone told where you are.\n- The right to consult the PACE Codes of Practice.\n- The right to an interpreter, and to medical help if you need it.\n\nYour belongings are recorded and kept. You may be searched, photographed, and have fingerprints and a DNA sample taken; for recordable offences this can be done without your consent. If you are under 18 or vulnerable, an appropriate adult must be called.\n\nHow long you can be held\n\nNormally up to 24 hours before you must be charged or released, extendable to 36 hours by a superintendent for indictable offences and up to 96 hours by a magistrates' court. See our guide on detention time limits.\n\nHow it ends\n\nAfter interview you will be either:\n\n- Released with no further action (NFA).\n- Released under investigation (RUI), with the inquiry continuing but no conditions.\n- Released on pre-charge bail, with or without conditions.\n- Dealt with out of court, for example by a caution or community resolution, which requires your agreement.\n- Charged, and then either bailed to court or kept in custody for the next court sitting.\n\nWhat to do\n\nAsk for a solicitor as soon as you are offered one; it is free, it does not make you look guilty, and the duty solicitor is independent of the police. Do not discuss the allegation until you have spoken to them. After release you can ask for a copy of your custody record, which you are entitled to for 12 months.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T19:54:05.000Z","Arrested","mdi:account-alert","arrested","An arrest is the point at which you are no longer free to leave. Here is what should happen, step by step, in England and Wales. At the moment of arrest The…",575,{"id":277,"slug":278,"name":279,"content":280,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":281,"word_count":203,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"43","what-is-a-mention-hearing","What is a mention hearing?","A mention hearing, shown on court lists as \"for mention\" or \"mention\", is a short hearing used to deal with a specific point in a case before the trial or sentence. It is not a trial and no evidence is heard. It exists so that a problem or a decision does not have to wait for the next big hearing.\n\nWhy a case is listed for mention\n\nCommon reasons include:\n\n- A change to bail conditions, or a bail application.\n- A problem with the timetable, such as evidence that has not been served or a witness who is not available.\n- An application by either side, for example to adjourn the trial, to add or drop a charge, or to decide whether a piece of evidence can be used.\n- Checking that a case is ready for trial, sometimes called a readiness hearing or a further case management hearing.\n- A change of plea. A defendant who wants to plead guilty before the trial date can ask for the case to be listed for mention so the plea can be entered.\n- Sentencing matters, such as whether a pre-sentence report is ready.\n\nThe court can list a case for mention of its own accord, or either side can ask for one.\n\nDo I have to attend?\n\nUsually yes, unless the court has said that your attendance is excused. The daily list sometimes shows \"defendant excused\" or \"attendance not required\". If you are on bail and in doubt, go: failing to attend a hearing you were required to attend is an offence and can lead to a warrant. If you are in custody you will normally appear by video link from prison.\n\nHow long it takes\n\nMention hearings are often listed in a block at the start of the day, for example at 10am with several cases together, and each may take only a few minutes. You may still wait an hour or more for your case to be called. The daily list may give a short time estimate, such as \"mention (15 mins)\".\n\nWhat happens on the day\n\nYour advocate will tell the judge what the issue is and what order is sought. The other side responds. The judge decides, and may give directions with dates. You will usually be asked to confirm your name and that you understand any bail conditions. You will not normally be asked questions about the case itself.\n\nWhat to do beforehand\n\n- Make sure your solicitor knows about the hearing and whether you need to attend.\n- If you want something raised, such as a change to your bail conditions, tell your solicitor well before the day so an application can be prepared.\n- Bring your court letter and ID.\n\nMention versus other hearings\n\n- A plea hearing or PTPH is where you enter your plea.\n- A pre-trial review checks readiness for trial.\n- A mention is for anything else that needs a judge's attention between hearings.\n\nOn the daily list a mention normally appears with the courtroom, the judge, a time, and your case reference, in the same way as any other hearing.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A mention hearing, shown on court lists as \"for mention\" or \"mention\", is a short hearing used to deal with a specific point in a case before the trial or…",{"id":283,"slug":284,"name":285,"content":286,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":287,"word_count":234,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"44","what-is-a-plea-hearing","What is a plea hearing?","A plea hearing is the hearing at which you tell the court whether you are guilty or not guilty. Where it happens, and what it is called, depends on the type of offence and which court is dealing with it.\n\nIn the magistrates' court\n\nAlmost every criminal case starts in the magistrates' court, and the first hearing there is where a plea is taken or indicated.\n\n- Summary-only offences, such as most driving offences and minor assaults, are dealt with entirely in the magistrates' court. You plead at the first hearing. A guilty plea usually leads to sentence the same day or after a short adjournment. A not guilty plea leads to a trial date before magistrates or a district judge.\n- Either-way offences, such as theft, many assaults and most drug offences, can be tried in either court. At the first hearing you are asked to indicate a plea. This is called plea before venue. If you indicate guilty the magistrates decide whether to sentence you themselves or send you to the Crown Court for sentence. If you indicate not guilty the court decides where the trial should be, a step called allocation, and you can choose Crown Court trial by jury if the magistrates keep the case.\n- Indictable-only offences, such as robbery, rape and serious wounding, must go to the Crown Court. The magistrates' court sends the case straight there without taking a plea, and your plea is taken at the Crown Court PTPH.\n\nIn the Crown Court\n\nThe plea is taken at the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing, usually called the PTPH. The charges on the indictment are read out and you answer guilty or not guilty to each. This is known as arraignment. See the separate guide on PTPHs for what else happens at that hearing.\n\nPleading guilty: credit\n\nThe law rewards early guilty pleas with a reduction in sentence, because they save court time and spare witnesses. The sentencing guideline gives the maximum reduction, one third, for a plea indicated at the first opportunity, which usually means the first hearing in the magistrates' court. The reduction falls to a quarter at the PTPH and to around a tenth on the day of trial. This is one of the most important decisions in a criminal case and you should take advice before the hearing, not at it.\n\nPleading not guilty\n\nYou do not have to give reasons. The prosecution must then prove the case at a trial. A not guilty plea can be changed to guilty later, but the credit will be lower.\n\nWhat if I do not know what to do?\n\nYou can ask for the hearing to be adjourned so you can get legal advice, and the court will usually allow one short adjournment for that. The duty solicitor at the magistrates' court can advise at the first hearing. For Crown Court cases legal aid is usually available.\n\nEquivocal pleas and no plea\n\nIf you say something like \"guilty but I did not mean it\", the court cannot accept that as a guilty plea and will treat it as not guilty. If you refuse to plead, a not guilty plea is entered for you.\n\nWhat the daily list shows\n\nIn the magistrates' court the first hearing may be listed simply by your name and case number, or as \"first hearing\" or \"plea\". In the Crown Court it appears as \"PTPH\". Arrive early, bring your court letter and ID, and speak to your advocate before you go in.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A plea hearing is the hearing at which you tell the court whether you are guilty or not guilty. Where it happens, and what it is called, depends on the type…",{"id":289,"slug":290,"name":291,"content":292,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":293,"word_count":294,"reading_time":28,"is_official":29},"45","what-is-a-ptph","What is a PTPH (Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing)?","A PTPH is a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing. It is the first hearing in the Crown Court for most cases that have been sent there by the magistrates' court. The defendant is asked to enter a plea, and if the plea is not guilty the court sets a trial date and the directions needed to get the case ready.\n\nWhen it happens\n\nA PTPH is usually listed a few weeks after the case is sent from the magistrates' court. Defendants held in custody are listed sooner than those on bail. The date is given to you at the magistrates' court or in a letter from the Crown Court, and it will appear on the court's daily list as \"PTPH\" next to your case reference.\n\nWho has to attend\n\nYou must attend in person unless the court has excused you. If you are in custody you will be brought to court or appear by video link from prison. Your solicitor and, usually, a barrister will be there. Witnesses are not needed at a PTPH.\n\nWhat happens in the hearing\n\n1. Arraignment. The charges on the indictment are read out and you are asked to plead guilty or not guilty to each one. This is the plea that counts, even if you indicated a plea in the magistrates' court.\n\n2. If you plead guilty. The judge will either sentence you that day or, more often, adjourn for a pre-sentence report from the probation service. Sentencing then follows a few weeks later. See the guide on sentencing hearings for what to expect.\n\n3. If you plead not guilty. The judge fixes a trial date, or places the case in a warned list, and sets a timetable. The prosecution and defence tell the court how long the trial will take, which witnesses must attend in person, whether any evidence is disputed, and whether applications will be made about things like bad character or hearsay. Much of this is recorded on a form completed before the hearing.\n\n4. Bail. The judge will confirm or vary your bail conditions until the next hearing. If you are in custody the judge will consider any bail application.\n\nCredit for a guilty plea\n\nThe earlier a guilty plea is entered, the larger the reduction in sentence. A plea indicated at the first hearing in the magistrates' court normally earns the maximum reduction of one third. A guilty plea at the PTPH normally earns a quarter. A plea on the day of trial earns about a tenth. This is one reason the PTPH matters: it is usually the last point at which a substantial reduction is available.\n\nWhat to bring and how to prepare\n\n- Any letter from the court and your case reference.\n- Photo ID.\n- Arrive at least 30 minutes early; the hearing may be short but you may wait some time for it to be called.\n- Speak to your solicitor before the day. You should already know what you intend to plead. Do not decide on the morning.\n- If you have no solicitor, tell the court staff when you arrive. The judge can adjourn to allow you to get representation, and legal aid is usually available for Crown Court cases.\n\nHow long it takes\n\nThe hearing itself is often 10 to 20 minutes, but several PTPHs are listed together and you may be at court for a morning or an afternoon.\n\nWhat the daily list shows\n\nOn the daily list a PTPH appears with the courtroom, the judge, a time or a \"not before\" time, and your case reference. Times are often approximate; the usher will call your case when the court is ready.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A PTPH is a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing. It is the first hearing in the Crown Court for most cases that have been sent there by the magistrates'…",630,{"id":296,"slug":297,"name":298,"content":299,"category_id":159,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":192,"updated_at":192,"category":240,"category_icon":241,"category_slug":242,"excerpt":300,"word_count":301,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"46","what-is-a-warned-list","What is a warned list?","A warned list is a group of trials that the Crown Court has told everyone to be ready for during a particular period, usually one or two weeks, without giving any of them a fixed start date. Cases in the warned list are called on when a courtroom becomes free, often at short notice. The alternative is a fixed trial, which has a definite date.\n\nWhy courts use warned lists\n\nTrials collapse or finish early all the time: defendants change their plea, witnesses do not attend, cases are adjourned. A warned list gives the court a supply of trials that can start as soon as a courtroom is available, so judges and courtrooms are not left idle. It is efficient for the court, but it means uncertainty for everyone in the case.\n\nHow much notice you get\n\nWhen a warned-list case is called on, the court's listing office tells the solicitors and the Crown Prosecution Service, usually the working day before, sometimes the same morning. Your solicitor should then contact you. Witnesses are told by the Witness Care Unit or the police officer in the case. Typical notice is one working day; it can be less.\n\nWhat you must do if your case is in a warned list\n\n- Stay contactable for the whole warned period. Make sure your solicitor has a phone number that you answer, and check it every afternoon.\n- Do not book holidays, travel or anything you cannot cancel during the warned period. If you have an unavoidable commitment, tell your solicitor as early as possible so the court can be asked to avoid those days.\n- Keep your paperwork and clothes for court ready so you can attend the next morning.\n- Witnesses should do the same. If you are a witness and are not available on certain days, tell the Witness Care Unit at once.\n\nWhat the daily list shows\n\nA case in the warned list does not appear on the court's daily list until it has been called on. Once it is, it appears as a trial with a courtroom, judge and time, usually \"10:00\" or \"not before 10:30\". Some courts also publish the warned list itself, with a note such as \"warned list: week commencing\" and the cases that may be reached.\n\nFloating trials and backers\n\nTwo related terms you may see:\n\n- A floating trial, or floater, is a trial without its own courtroom that will go into the first courtroom to become free that day. Everyone must attend from the start of the day and may wait.\n- A backer, or back-up trial, is listed behind another trial in the same courtroom in case the first one does not go ahead.\n\nWhat if it is not reached?\n\nIf the warned period ends and your trial has not been called on, the case goes back to the listing office and will be put into a later warned list or given a fixed date. Your bail continues on the same conditions. Your solicitor will tell you the new arrangement.\n\nCan I ask for a fixed date instead?\n\nYour advocate can ask the judge to fix the trial rather than warn it, for example where there are many witnesses, a vulnerable witness, an interpreter, or a defendant who travels a long way. Courts try to fix cases with these features. It is worth raising at the PTPH.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Speak to a solicitor about your own case.\n","A warned list is a group of trials that the Crown Court has told everyone to be ready for during a particular period, usually one or two weeks, without…",583,{"id":303,"slug":304,"name":305,"content":306,"category_id":86,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":98,"updated_at":22,"category":99,"category_icon":100,"category_slug":101,"excerpt":307,"word_count":308,"reading_time":104,"is_official":29},"25","uk-legal-rights","Your legal rights with the police and courts: an overview","This guide pulls together the key rights you have when dealing with the police and the criminal courts in England and Wales. Most come from the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and its Codes of Practice, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Equality Act 2010. Follow the links in each section for the detailed guides.\n\nThe right to silence\n\nYou do not have to answer police questions, in the street or in interview. There are limits:\n\n- Under some powers you must give your name and address (anti-social behaviour under section 50, driving offences).\n- If you stay silent in interview and later rely in court on something you could have mentioned, the court may draw an \"adverse inference\" from your silence (Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994).\n- Silence alone can never prove guilt.\n\nAlways take legal advice before deciding how to approach an interview.\n\nThe right to free legal advice\n\nAnyone arrested or interviewed under caution, including at a voluntary interview, can have free independent legal advice from a solicitor of their choice or the duty solicitor, 24 hours a day, in private, before and during interview. This can only be delayed in very limited and serious circumstances, and never refused. Use it.\n\nThe right to have someone informed\n\nWhen you are detained you can have one person told where you are, and you can usually make a phone call. The police can delay this (for up to 36 hours) only for indictable offences and only where a superintendent believes it would interfere with evidence or alert others.\n\nThe right to see the Codes of Practice\n\nYou can ask to read the PACE Codes at any time in custody. They cover:\n\n- Code A: stop and search.\n- Code B: searching premises and seizing property.\n- Code C: detention, treatment and questioning.\n- Code D: identification procedures.\n- Code E and F: audio and visual recording of interviews.\n- Code G: arrest.\n- Code H: detention under the Terrorism Act.\n\nRights in custody\n\n- Adequate food and drink, toilet and washing facilities, and a clean cell.\n- At least eight hours' rest in any 24.\n- Medical attention from a healthcare professional whenever needed.\n- Brief outdoor exercise daily where practicable.\n- Replacement clothing if yours is taken.\n- An interpreter if you need one.\n- An appropriate adult if you are under 18 or vulnerable.\n- A copy of your custody record on request, for 12 months after release.\n\nTime limits on detention\n\n24 hours as standard, 36 hours with a superintendent's authority for indictable offences, up to 96 hours only with a magistrates' warrant, and 14 days under the Terrorism Act. Detention must be reviewed by an inspector at six hours and then every nine.\n\nRights if you are charged\n\n- A written charge sheet setting out the offence.\n- A decision on bail, with reasons for any conditions or refusal.\n- Appearance before magistrates at the next sitting if you are kept in custody.\n- Disclosure of the prosecution evidence before trial.\n\nRights in court\n\n- A fair and public hearing before an independent court, within a reasonable time.\n- The presumption of innocence: the prosecution must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.\n- Legal representation, with legal aid if you qualify, and a duty solicitor at the magistrates' court on your first appearance.\n- To know the evidence against you and to challenge it, including by questioning witnesses.\n- An interpreter if you need one, free of charge.\n- To appeal against conviction or sentence.\n\nProtection from discrimination\n\nThe police and courts must not treat you less favourably because of race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, pregnancy or marital status, and must make reasonable adjustments for disability. Discrimination can be the basis of a complaint, a claim under the Equality Act, or both.\n\nRights when your home is searched\n\nOfficers generally need a warrant or a specific power of entry. You can ask to see the warrant and keep a copy, must be given a Notice of Powers and Rights, can have a witness present, and are entitled to a record of anything seized and to its return when no longer needed.\n\nRights over your data\n\n- You can make a subject access request for information the police hold on you.\n- Fingerprints, DNA and photographs taken on arrest have retention rules; if you were not convicted you can often request deletion.\n- You can ask for inaccurate records to be corrected, and apply to the Police National Computer \"record deletion process\" to remove certain records.\n\nChildren and vulnerable adults\n\nAnyone under 18 must have an appropriate adult for interview, strip search and when told their rights; their parent or carer must be informed; and if charged and kept in custody they should be transferred to local authority accommodation rather than kept in a cell. Adults who are vulnerable because of a mental health condition, learning disability, autism or similar have the same right to an appropriate adult and to adjustments.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","This guide pulls together the key rights you have when dealing with the police and the criminal courts in England and Wales. Most come from the Police and…",877,{"id":178,"slug":310,"name":311,"content":312,"category_id":205,"source":18,"source_url":18,"source_ref":18,"licence":18,"sort_order":19,"published":20,"created_at":313,"updated_at":22,"category":271,"category_icon":272,"category_slug":273,"excerpt":314,"word_count":315,"reading_time":42,"is_official":29},"your-rights-when-being-questioned","Your rights in a police interview","If the police suspect you of an offence they will want to interview you under caution, either after arrest or as a \"voluntary\" interview you have been invited to. The same core rights apply to both.\n\nThe caution\n\nBefore any interview you must be cautioned:\n\n\"You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.\"\n\nThis wording has been used since the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 came into force in 1995. The older version (\"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say will be taken down and may be used in evidence\") was replaced because the 1994 Act allowed courts to draw \"adverse inferences\" from silence. In plain terms: you still cannot be convicted for staying silent, but if you later raise a defence in court that you could reasonably have mentioned in interview, the court may ask why you did not.\n\nYour rights before and during the interview\n\n- Free legal advice. You can have a solicitor, free of charge, whatever your income, before and during the interview. You can speak to them in private. You can stop the interview to consult them. This applies to voluntary interviews too.\n- Time with your solicitor. The police should tell your solicitor what the allegation is (disclosure) so they can advise you properly.\n- Recording. Interviews must be audio recorded, and often video recorded. You can get a copy of the recording through your solicitor if you are charged.\n- Breaks. You should be offered breaks at normal meal times and short breaks roughly every two hours, and you must have at least eight hours' rest in any 24 hours while detained.\n- An appropriate adult if you are under 18 or vulnerable, in addition to a solicitor.\n- An interpreter if you need one.\n- Reasonable conditions: the room must be adequately lit, heated and ventilated, and you should not be made to stand.\n\nYour options in the interview\n\nWith your solicitor you can choose to answer questions, to answer \"no comment\" to everything, to hand in a prepared written statement and then say nothing further, or to answer some questions and not others. Each has consequences and the right choice depends on the evidence against you, which is exactly why you should take advice first. Officers may not use oppression, threats or inducements to get answers; anything obtained that way can be excluded by a court.\n\nA voluntary interview is still a real interview\n\nIf you are asked to \"pop in for a chat\", that is an interview under caution. You are free to leave, but anything you say counts, and the same adverse-inference rule applies. You are entitled to free legal advice beforehand and you can ask for the interview to be arranged around your solicitor's availability.\n\nIf you are autistic, have ADHD, a learning disability or a mental health condition, tell the officers and your solicitor: you are entitled to an appropriate adult and to adjustments in how the interview is run. See our guides on autism and ADHD, and on sensory processing differences.\n\nThis is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If you have been arrested or charged, speak to a solicitor: advice at the police station is free for everyone.","2022-04-13T19:53:24.000Z","If the police suspect you of an offence they will want to interview you under caution, either after arrest or as a \"voluntary\" interview you have been…",572,{"id":317,"slug":318,"name":319,"content":320,"category_id":64,"source":321,"source_url":322,"source_ref":323,"licence":324,"sort_order":195,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":326,"category_icon":327,"category_slug":328,"excerpt":329,"word_count":330,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"36","pace-code-b-can-police-search-your-home","Can the police search your home?","The police can usually only search your home in one of a few situations: with your genuine consent; with a search warrant issued by a court; or using a specific legal power (for example, to search after an arrest, or in an emergency to protect life or prevent serious damage).\n\nIf they rely on your consent, it must be informed and in writing where practicable, and you can refuse — they should tell you that you do not have to agree and that anything found may be used in evidence. You can also withdraw consent.\n\nIf they have a warrant, it should be shown to you, and you are entitled to a copy. The search must stay within what the warrant allows — they can only look in places where the items they are searching for could reasonably be.\n\nA search must be carried out at a reasonable hour unless that would frustrate its purpose, and with no more force or disturbance than necessary. Afterwards, the occupier is entitled to a record of the search and a list of anything seized.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code B.","PACE Code B (2013)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fpace-code-b-2013","Code B, sections 5–8","OGL v3.0","2026-06-22T11:50:16.000Z","PACE Code B – Searching Premises","mdi:home-search","pace-code-b-searching-premises","The police can usually only search your home in one of a few situations: with your genuine consent; with a search warrant issued by a court; or using a…",196,1,{"id":333,"slug":334,"name":335,"content":336,"category_id":151,"source":337,"source_url":338,"source_ref":339,"licence":324,"sort_order":195,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":340,"category_icon":341,"category_slug":342,"excerpt":343,"word_count":330,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"37","police-code-of-ethics-the-standards-explained","The Police Code of Ethics: what officers must live up to","The Code of Ethics sets out the standards of behaviour expected of everyone who works in policing in England and Wales. It is built around principles and standards that officers are accountable to — and that you can reasonably expect when you deal with the police.\n\nThe standards of professional behaviour include: honesty and integrity; authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity (treating people fairly and without discrimination); using force only when necessary and proportionate; exercising their duties and powers lawfully; behaving in a way that does not discredit the police or undermine public confidence; challenging and reporting improper conduct; and being accountable for their decisions and actions.\n\nIn plain terms, the Code expects officers to be honest, to treat people with respect, to be fair, to use only the force that is genuinely needed, to act within the law, and to own their decisions.\n\nThis site lets the public rate police leadership against these same ethical themes — accountability, fairness, honesty, integrity, leadership, objectivity, openness, selflessness, respect and conduct — so the standards are not just words on a page.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact wording, read the official Code of Ethics.","College of Policing — Code of Ethics","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.college.police.uk\u002Fethics\u002Fcode-of-ethics","Standards of Professional Behaviour","Police Code of Ethics","mdi:scale-balance","police-code-of-ethics","The Code of Ethics sets out the standards of behaviour expected of everyone who works in policing in England and Wales. It is built around principles and…",{"id":345,"slug":346,"name":347,"content":348,"category_id":220,"source":349,"source_url":350,"source_ref":351,"licence":324,"sort_order":195,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":352,"category_icon":272,"category_slug":353,"excerpt":354,"word_count":355,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"31","pace-code-g-when-can-the-police-arrest-you","When can the police arrest you?","For an arrest without a warrant to be lawful, two things must both be true. First, the officer must have reasonable grounds to suspect you are involved in, or attempting, a criminal offence. Second, the officer must have reasonable grounds to believe the arrest is necessary.\n\nThe \"necessity\" part is important — suspecting an offence is not enough on its own. The law sets out specific reasons that can make an arrest necessary, including: to find out your name or address; to stop you causing injury or damage; to protect a child or vulnerable person; to allow the offence to be investigated properly (for example to prevent interference with evidence or witnesses); or to stop you disappearing before the matter can be dealt with.\n\nThe officer has to consider whether there is a less intrusive option than arrest that would still achieve the objective. Arrest must be a proportionate step, not an automatic one.\n\nWhen you are arrested you must be told that you are under arrest, and given the reason in plain language, even if it is obvious. You must also be cautioned.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code G.","PACE Code G (2012)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fpace-code-g-2012","Code G, paras 1.2–2.9","PACE Code G – Arrest","pace-code-g-arrest","For an arrest without a warrant to be lawful, two things must both be true. First, the officer must have reasonable grounds to suspect you are involved in…",199,{"id":357,"slug":358,"name":359,"content":360,"category_id":13,"source":361,"source_url":362,"source_ref":363,"licence":324,"sort_order":195,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":364,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":365,"excerpt":366,"word_count":367,"reading_time":185,"is_official":20},"28","pace-code-a-when-can-police-stop-and-search-you","When can the police stop and search you?","Most police powers to stop and search you need \"reasonable grounds for suspicion\". That means the officer must genuinely suspect they will find something specific — for example stolen goods, a weapon, drugs, or an item that could be used to commit a crime. The suspicion has to be based on facts, information, or intelligence about you in that situation.\n\nReasonable grounds can never be based on personal factors alone. Your race, age, appearance, the way you are dressed, or the fact that you have a previous conviction are not, on their own, reasons to search you. Generalisations or stereotypes about a group of people are also not enough.\n\nBefore searching you, the officer should take reasonable steps to find out (or confirm) what you may be carrying. A search must be a proportionate response to the suspicion — it is not a routine or random check.\n\nThere are some separate powers (for example under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) where an officer can search without reasonable suspicion, but only after a senior officer has authorised it for a specific area and time because of a risk of serious violence. These are the exception, not the norm.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code A.","PACE Code A (2023)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fpace-code-a-2023","Code A, paras 1.1–2.11","PACE Code A – Stop & Search","pace-code-a-stop-and-search","Most police powers to stop and search you need \"reasonable grounds for suspicion\". That means the officer must genuinely suspect they will find something…",218,{"id":369,"slug":370,"name":371,"content":372,"category_id":132,"source":373,"source_url":374,"source_ref":375,"licence":324,"sort_order":195,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":376,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":377,"excerpt":378,"word_count":355,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"33","pace-code-c-your-rights-in-police-custody","Your rights when held in police custody","When you are brought into a police station under arrest, the custody officer must tell you about three key rights, both out loud and in writing, and these rights continue throughout your detention.\n\nFirst, the right to free and independent legal advice. You can speak to a solicitor in private, at any time, day or night, and it costs you nothing. You can change your mind later and ask for a solicitor even if you declined at first.\n\nSecond, the right to have someone told that you have been arrested. You can have a friend, relative or another person who is likely to take an interest informed of where you are.\n\nThird, the right to consult the PACE Codes of Practice themselves — the rule book the police must follow.\n\nYou should also be given written information about the reason for your detention, your right to regular reviews of that detention, and how you will be treated. If you are deaf, do not speak English well, or are under 18 or otherwise vulnerable, extra safeguards apply (such as an interpreter or an \"appropriate adult\").\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code C.","PACE Code C (2019)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fpace-code-c-2019","Code C, paras 3.1, 5.1, 6.1","PACE Code C – Detention & Questioning","pace-code-c-detention-and-questioning","When you are brought into a police station under arrest, the custody officer must tell you about three key rights, both out loud and in writing, and these…",{"id":380,"slug":381,"name":382,"content":383,"category_id":132,"source":384,"source_url":374,"source_ref":385,"licence":324,"sort_order":386,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":376,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":377,"excerpt":387,"word_count":388,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"34","pace-code-c-how-long-can-police-detain-you","How long can the police hold you without charge?","There are limits on how long the police can hold you before they must either charge you or release you. As a general rule, the police can detain you for up to 24 hours without charge.\n\nA senior officer (at least the rank of superintendent) can extend this to 36 hours for a serious offence. Beyond that, the police must apply to a magistrates' court, which can authorise detention up to a maximum of 96 hours (four days) in total. Detention under the Terrorism Act 2000 follows separate, longer rules (covered by PACE Code H).\n\nWhile you are held, your detention has to be reviewed regularly by a review officer — the first review within the first six hours, and then at least every nine hours after that — to check whether keeping you there is still justified. If it is not, you must be released.\n\nThe clock and the reasons for your continued detention must be recorded in the custody record, which you (or your solicitor) can ask to see.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code C and PACE 1984.","PACE Code C (2019) \u002F PACE 1984","Code C, section 15; PACE ss.41–44",20,"There are limits on how long the police can hold you before they must either charge you or release you. As a general rule, the police can detain you for up…",189,{"id":390,"slug":391,"name":392,"content":393,"category_id":151,"source":337,"source_url":338,"source_ref":394,"licence":324,"sort_order":386,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":340,"category_icon":341,"category_slug":342,"excerpt":395,"word_count":396,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"38","police-code-of-ethics-use-of-force-must-be-necessary-and-proportionate","Use of force: the \"necessary and proportionate\" rule","Police officers are allowed to use force in certain situations — but never as a matter of routine, and never more than the situation genuinely requires. The standard is that any force used must be necessary, proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances.\n\n\"Necessary\" means there was no realistic, less forceful option that would have worked. \"Proportionate\" means the level of force matches the seriousness of what the officer is dealing with. \"Reasonable\" means another person, looking at the facts the officer honestly believed at the time, would consider the response justified.\n\nOfficers are expected to be able to account for and justify any force they use, and to use the minimum needed to achieve a lawful aim — then stop. Force that continues after it is no longer necessary, or that is used to punish or intimidate, falls outside the standard.\n\nIf you believe an officer used excessive force, you can complain to the force's professional standards department, and serious matters can be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact wording, read the official Code of Ethics.","Standard: Use of Force","Police officers are allowed to use force in certain situations — but never as a matter of routine, and never more than the situation genuinely requires. The…",187,{"id":398,"slug":399,"name":400,"content":401,"category_id":220,"source":402,"source_url":374,"source_ref":403,"licence":324,"sort_order":386,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":352,"category_icon":272,"category_slug":353,"excerpt":404,"word_count":405,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"32","pace-code-g-the-police-caution-explained","What does the police caution mean?","When you are arrested or questioned about an offence, you must be cautioned. The standard caution is:\n\n\"You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.\"\n\nBreaking that down: you have a right to silence — you do not have to answer questions. But if you stay silent about something and then rely on it in your defence later, a court may be allowed to draw a conclusion from the fact that you did not mention it earlier. And anything you do choose to say can be used as evidence.\n\nThis is why it is usually sensible to get free legal advice before answering questions. Your right to free, independent legal advice in custody is separate and is not affected by the caution.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Codes.","PACE Code C (2019) \u002F Code G (2012)","Code C, para 10.5","When you are arrested or questioned about an offence, you must be cautioned. The standard caution is: \"You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your…",165,{"id":407,"slug":408,"name":409,"content":410,"category_id":13,"source":361,"source_url":362,"source_ref":411,"licence":324,"sort_order":386,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":364,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":365,"excerpt":412,"word_count":413,"reading_time":185,"is_official":20},"29","pace-code-a-what-an-officer-must-tell-you-before-a-search","What must an officer tell you before a stop and search?","Before searching you (or as soon as practicable), the officer must give you certain information. Officers are trained to remember it using the word \"GOWISELY\".\n\nG – Grounds: the reason they are searching you.\nO – Object: what they are looking for.\nW – Warrant card: if the officer is not in uniform, they must show it.\nI – Identity: the officer's name (or, in some cases, an identification number) and...\nS – Station: ...the police station they are attached to.\nE – Entitlement: that you are entitled to a copy of the search record.\nL – Legal power: the law that gives them the power to search you.\nY – You are detained for the purpose of a search.\n\nThe officer should also tell you that you can ask for a copy of the search record, and how to get it. You have a right to that record (within three months) whether or not anything is found.\n\nIf you do not understand, or English is not your first language, the officer should take reasonable steps to make sure you understand what is happening and why.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code A.","Code A, paras 3.8–3.11 (GOWISELY)","Before searching you (or as soon as practicable), the officer must give you certain information. Officers are trained to remember it using the word…",201,{"id":415,"slug":416,"name":417,"content":418,"category_id":13,"source":361,"source_url":362,"source_ref":419,"licence":324,"sort_order":420,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":364,"category_icon":181,"category_slug":365,"excerpt":421,"word_count":422,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"30","pace-code-a-removing-clothing-during-a-stop-and-search","Can the police make you remove clothing in a stop and search?","In public, an officer carrying out an ordinary stop and search can only ask you to remove your outer coat, jacket and gloves. They cannot require you to take off more than that in public view.\n\nIf a more thorough search is needed (for example removing a t-shirt, or any search involving more than outer clothing), it must be done out of public view — such as in a police van or a nearby building — and not in a police station unless certain conditions apply.\n\nAny search that involves exposing intimate parts of the body has stricter rules again and must be carried out by an officer of the same sex, away from anyone of the opposite sex. These \"more thorough\" and intimate searches are tightly controlled and are not part of a normal street search.\n\nThe search should be carried out with courtesy, consideration and respect, and should take no longer than is reasonably necessary.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code A.","Code A, paras 3.5–3.7",30,"In public, an officer carrying out an ordinary stop and search can only ask you to remove your outer coat, jacket and gloves. They cannot require you to take…",172,{"id":424,"slug":425,"name":426,"content":427,"category_id":132,"source":373,"source_url":374,"source_ref":428,"licence":324,"sort_order":420,"published":20,"created_at":325,"updated_at":325,"category":376,"category_icon":81,"category_slug":377,"excerpt":429,"word_count":430,"reading_time":331,"is_official":20},"35","pace-code-c-conditions-of-detention-rest-food-and-breaks","Rest, food and breaks: how you must be treated in custody","The Codes set minimum standards for how you must be treated while detained. A cell should be adequately heated, lit, cleaned and ventilated, and you must be given enough bedding to be reasonably comfortable.\n\nYou must be offered at least two light meals and one main meal in any 24-hour period, plus drinks at meal times and on reasonable request between meals. Dietary and religious needs should be met where practicable.\n\nIn any 24-hour period you are entitled to a continuous period of at least eight hours' rest, normally at night, free from questioning, travel or interruption arising out of the investigation. Interviews should not normally take place during this rest period.\n\nBreaks from interviewing should be made at recognised meal times and at intervals of around two hours. Your physical condition must be considered: if you are unwell or injured, appropriate medical help must be called, and that takes priority.\n\nThis is a plain-English summary. For the exact rules, read the official PACE Code C.","Code C, sections 8, 9, 12","The Codes set minimum standards for how you must be treated while detained. A cell should be adequately heated, lit, cleaned and ventilated, and you must be…",166]