England & Wales

Ok, so you arrest someone and go to take them back to custody in your vehicle. You've handcuffed them but do you search them? S.32 PACE states that you must search only if you have a BELIEF that the DP is carrying an item that can: -Injure you or them -Help effect escape -Be used in evidence But if you did not have a belief at the time of arrest, would you still search them from a personal safety point of view? I was told that whilst you should stick to PACE, it's not worth putting yourself in unecassary danger even if your DP is just being verbally resistant. Opinions?

Hi all! So I was strong-armed by my girlfriend last night into watching "Barely Legal Drivers" on BBC3 - here's a link if anyone hasn't seen it - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rs1tz Apart from being appalled by some of the drivers (I'm sure some of you serving in the force have some stories about bad driving!) there was a clip where it showed the passengers in one car drinking bottles of beer whilst on the motorway. Now, I was always told (as a citizen) that it was illegal to have open containers of alcohol in the car but the programme never alluded to any wrong-doing. Is there any specific offence which the passengers have committed or is it totally legal? I assu…

Hiya guys. Just a quick question: What national policies and procedures are in place to guide the police whilst conducting volume/priority investigations? Thanks

I imagine that court officials are allowed to look under someone's burkha or niqab to check they have the right person. But is someone allowed to give evidence with their face covered? To me this would mean it would be much harder to tell if someone was lying, because you couldn't see their facial expressions.

What is the legally defined difference between a lawful order from a PO to an MoP and an unlawful order? What are the legal criteria used to determine when it is an offence for an otherwise lawful MoP to disobey an order from a PO? I'm assuming that the context is in the absence of any offence, drunkenness, trespass, etc.

Something I wondered last night. If say you commit a serious crime on a cruise ship, say a sexual assault / rape. Security place you in the jail on board the ship until they can hand you over the the nearest authorities. How does this work legally? Sometimes a cruise ship could be a few days away from land so can security hold on to people for that long? Would the crime be under the laws of the location at the time or the country that owns the ship?

To all experienced traffic officers/specials - I hope you can help clarify my understanding of the driver obligations within the RTA. Recently, I took part in an operation which involved spotting, stopping and pulling over suspect vehicles for random checks with us and other partner agencies. One of the main tools used during this op was the requesting of a driver's name, DOB and home address detail. In this scenario a particular gentleman (very polite indeed...) was initially reluctant to provide any details as he claimed that he might enter into a "contractual conversation trail" with him - which he didn't want, as he protested that he hadn't done anything wrong. …

Can you not technically still search "under sus" , I ask this as I know we now stop and search under PACE but the law that gave Police the powers to search under sus laws back in the day stem from Vagrancy Act 1824. Power listed here: " every suspected person or reputed thief, frequenting any river, canal, or navigable stream, dock, or basin, or any quay, wharf, or warehouse near or adjoining thereto, or any street, highway, or avenue leading thereto, or any place of public resort, or any avenue leading thereto, or any street, or any highway or any place adjacent to a street or highway; with intent to commit an arrestable offence" - Section 4 Vagrancy Act 1824 two point…

For the purposes of the RTA and public order offences, is a university campus a public place? In particular student accomodation areas and recreation areas. Most campuses have gate security and require vehicles/persons to book in and have a pass allocated for the duration of their stay and students/staff must produce valid ID, although taxis and takeaway vehicles appear to be able to roam free. Does this still make it a public place? I ask because of the need to sometimes deal with drunken students, either side of the gates at the request of the campus security. Cheers, Andy

Hi, What are the contents of a file for a traffic offence? Im guessing its the officers MG11, but what else? PNC print outs of DL im guessing?

This is a predicament. I own a nice 11-year old car (in very good condition, only c25K miles on the clock) which about 18 months ago I lent to a ex family friend so he could drive to and from work in London ~ the journey would have been awkward on public transport. The borrower was registered as keeper so he became responsible for expenses; we ticked the box "keeper" on the application to DVLA. About March/April 2013 I requested the car be returned to me; the borrower agreed but did not return the car until early July 2013 (after he had lost his job). Late in July 2013 I applied to be registered at DVLA as keeper then I took my car for service and MOT; the former bo…

Can anyone offer an explanation as to why there is no weapons charge in a case like this? http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/barrow-sister-of-cumbria-murder-victim-hit-killer-s-niece-1.1081787 The basics are that the woman walked across the dance floor in a club with shoes in her hands and then repeatedly hit the victim with the shoes. So it was a premeditated attack, and her intention to use the shoes was also premeditated, not a heat of the moment during an altercation. Yet she was only convicted of assault. Am I missing something about the law on weapons or is it possible that a weapons charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain. I can understand that a GBH might be int…

Does anyone know which specific offences have gone up? £100 - 3 points for driving on phone/speeding £60 for failing to display vehicle excise licence

If someone has changed their name and later appears in court charged with an offence, do they have to use their original name or can they use their new name? If the person has a criminal record under the old name would the court automatically be aware of this?

I know it isn't illegal to possess or take Nitrous oxide. I know its legal to sell for medical purposes or for the catering industry. Can anyone tell me what the law is regarding selling or supplying? In terms of legal selling does it have to be to persons who can prove their legitimate use, ie. dentists, ambulance services, caterers etc. or would you have to prove that it was intentionally being sold for recreational drug use for it to be illegal? Is only sale illegal or would any supply be illegal? Taking the common cases at festivals that involve one person with 20 canisters and a few balloons giving some to their mates to someone with 200 canisters and loads of ball…