England & Wales

A scenario based on a question asked of me not too long ago. Anti-abortion protestors put up posters which are particularly graphic, upsetting/offensive/etc on a Saturday morning town high street with lots of pedestrian traffic of all ages. I'm aware that some officers have previously arrested such protestors for s4a/s5 POA, and that there's also a reasonable expectation of being able to protest. My question is which necessity criteria would fit here (given the changes to Code G)? If the protestors give name/address, and are willing to voluntarily attend (for interview re: reasonableness defence), what could be used? Would the public decency or protect child/vulnera…

Hello, this is purely hypothetical. I like the odd DIY- and selfmade Christmas presents are special, so at the moment I do a lot of it, even out in public eg on the train, library or cafe. I wondered whether knitting needles *could* count as offensive weapon in public? Mind you, I have some brutal ones- 10" long, up to 8mm thick, made of either bamboo or metal and some with very sharp edges. And there have been accidents with people poking their eyes out and I even once injured myself on a thinner one. Theoretically, almost anything could be used as a weapon, but I think a good stab with a needle could cause horrendous injury. They are not as "obvious" as a knife or a b…

Hello all, I have a bit of a query that hopefully you can set me straight on: Section 1 of PACE 1984 grants you the power, to search someone that you have reasonable grounds to suspect, may be carrying contriband or prohibited items. Does this cover the search of someone whom you believe could have a knife or offensive weapon on them? or is this covered by Sec 139 criminal justice act 1988? I brought a Blackstone specials handbook recentlly and it contridicts itself on this subject, in the section relating to offensive weapons it says to use section 1 of PACE, however under this section it says you cannot search for offensive weapons? Could be that im reading it wron…

Hiya Hopefully a nice and quick easy one. The other day driving to work I saw a car passing me when the driver had only cleared the frost from her side of the windscreen and the passengers side was completely obscured. Now am I right in thinking that the offence would be 'Windows not clear and obscured' (reading off my FPN offence codes booklet) which can be dealt with by a £30 NE-FPN if you were so inclined. Thanks

Hello, I am trying to get my head around changes to the Computer Misuse Act and how the changes are described on the legislation.gov website, specifically an amendment made by the Police and Justice Act 2006, shown here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/48/section/36, now here it's shown as prospective, but in the legislation that's been amended it's shown as http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/18/section/3, in force. Now does that mean it was prospective in the PJA 2006 at the time? I'm a bit lost to be honest. Now the amendment clarifies the position on "impairing" the functionality of a computer, in essence it deals with denial of service attacks becau…

Quick question, Something I haven't come across yet, is someone else at a job further arresting someone. So my question is, can a separate officer at the same job, further arrest someone or does it have to be the same officer? Sorry if it seems a stupid question!! Thanks

Hi, I was arrested about 7 years ago for a section 5 offence and given a fixed penalty fine. I have recently applied for a police certificate from ACPO with the intention of then applying for a tourist visa from the US embassy. The certificate has been issued to me, and states 'no trace'. Does this mean that I have no record with the police, and effectively do not need to apply for the US visa and can travel under the visa waiver programme? The purpose of getting the certificate was to show any arrests and present it to the embassy and apply for the visa. Is it possible that my info was not recorded on the PNC? I cant really remember much of the night (was drunk) so…

If someone refuses to accept a traffic ticket for example using a mobile phone whilst driving and you therefore have to report them. What MG forms do you have to include in a files and then who do you send it to? What is the process?

Hi everyone, I have my final "knowledge check" / exam not this week but next before I attest, I am struggling with burglary, if there is anyone who can clear it up I would be most thankful. I have what I believe to be the definition here, however I am uncertain as to whether these are correct. A person is guilty of burglary if: he enters a building or part of a building as a trespasser with intent to: steal anything in the building or part of the building, or inflict grievous bodily harm on any person therein, or do unlawful damage to the building or anything therein (Contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Theft Act 1968) or having entered any building or part …

I really don't want to trouble my local station with this so I thought I'd seek a bit of advice here. My teenage daughter (19) recently broke off a relationship, her Ex is having a real problem 'moving on' and has now resorted to making threats via text and over the phone. This has been going on for about 3 or 4 weeks now although I've only just found out. The threats are the usual "If I see you with another guy I'll beat him up" kind of thing and also the usual name calling. I'm unsure if my daughter has retalliated with similar insults (she says not but I don't know for sure). I'm sure many of you will know exactly what I'm describing here and I really do appreciate t…

Quick one for team ps.com.. Is is possible to designate a power to enter a property under s.18(1)/(5) PACE to police staff? If so, what act and section? I had a quick look on PNLD before leaving the office today, but couldn't see one and was running late!

Can somebody point me in the direction of the rules/law around confirming your name and address in court? What are the rule on which address you must give? I have access to legal databases etc I just need a nudge in the right direction!

As you all probably know there is currently a teacher waiting on remand on trial for abducting a school pupil. Sally Bercow has just got in trouble for naming the parties involved: there is a prohibition on naming the parties involved and news sources refer to the girl as "a schoolgirl" etc. The thing is, when these two were on the run in France both the police and media widely publicised their details: any news article from before they were found clearly states their details and are still readily available on the Internet. We don't have memories that forget such details as soon as a court says the people involved must be anonymous. Really, what is the point of such a …

Hi, I've been wondering about alternative offences to cover public order type issues, but conducted within a dwelling. I know there are a number of existing threads on this subject, but none of them seems to quite answer my question*, so here goes... I have two scenarios, both intended to illustrate the same point: Scenario A You are on duty when you are asked to attend a house from which the female occupant has called police stating she's been a victim of domestic abuse. You arrive, and are met by a tearful woman who informs you that she had a row with her husband (who has now retired to bed, drunk) during which he raised his fist as if to hit her, and said 'if you d…

Hope it is Ok to post here just to get some info. My gf got a knock on the door from the police over the weekend. I have a bench warrant for not showing up in court - stupid I know but had some family problems and just couldn't face it. Anyway just want to get it sorted out now and not have the police calling again. I assume it would look better if I just went to the station and handed myself in than being arrested? What will happen at the station if I do this? The bench warrant is for a London court - I am up north. Will I be going to court up here or have to go down to court in London? Will I need to bring cash with me - am thinking they might want this for bail bec…