How to deal with the police

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You can be arrest for that? Does the officer need grounds other than that? Presumably it can't be used as an excuse to arrest someone who had been acting lawfully?
I don't know about England but it appears they can in Scotland. I watched one of those cop programs the other night (admittedly it was probably Old), the cops in Edinburgh came to the scene of a bloke who'd been beaten up and was just getting out of the back of an ambulance. He'd already given his details to the departing medics so didn't want to give them again for some reason. After trying to reason with him for a while, the cops arrested him.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
You can be arrest for that? Does the officer need grounds other than that? Presumably it can't be used as an excuse to arrest someone who had been acting lawfully?
No, he can't be arrested purely for failing to furnish details, he must have committed or be suspected of a substantive offence in the first place.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
I don't know about England but it appears they can in Scotland. I watched one of those cop programs the other night (admittedly it was probably Old), the cops in Edinburgh came to the scene of a bloke who'd been beaten up and was just getting out of the back of an ambulance. He'd already given his details to the departing medics so didn't want to give them again for some reason. After trying to reason with him for a while, the cops arrested him.
Not the best example, there must have been a suspicion that he had been involved in a pubic order act offence or responsible for an assault himself. He cannot be arrested simply for failing to give his details as the victim of an assault. If it was as you have described, and he was purely a victim, then he was arrested unlawfully.
 

benb

Evidence based cyclist
Location
Epsom
Perhaps our law enforcement forumites can clarify, but I am pretty sure that you don't have to give your details to an officer unless they already have grounds to suspect your involvement in an offence. Refusing to identify yourself is not, in itself, an offence.
 

MrHappyCyclist

Riding the Devil's HIghway
Location
Bolton, England
You can be arrest for that? Does the officer need grounds other than that? Presumably it can't be used as an excuse to arrest someone who had been acting lawfully?

CC said: "He could have been arrested for refusing to give his name and address combined with the offence of the RLJ".
 
Not the best example, there must have been a suspicion that he had been involved in a pubic order act offence or responsible for an assault himself. He cannot be arrested simply for failing to give his details as the victim of an assault. If it was as you have described, and he was purely a victim, then he was arrested unlawfully.
It probably wasn't uptodate (so probably isn't a good example indeed) but thats the way it came across but I'm no legal eagle, it appeared the cops had been very patient with him; despite the commentary, they probably did do him with being D&D too.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Perhaps our law enforcement forumites can clarify, but I am pretty sure that you don't have to give your details to an officer unless they already have grounds to suspect your involvement in an offence. Refusing to identify yourself is not, in itself, an offence.
Yep, you got it.
 

Jezston

Über Member
Location
London
Yep, you got it.

Is that a qualified confirmation? If so, cheers.

I'm often alarmed by the powers given to police by the last couple of governments (the current one talking about giving them even more) so glad to hear they aren't that serious.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Is that a qualified confirmation? If so, cheers.

I'm often alarmed by the powers given to police by the last couple of governments (the current one talking about giving them even more) so glad to hear they aren't that serious.
Some people enjoy making them out to be worse than they are (Daily Fail headlines about local authorities invoking terrorist legislation to snoop inside your wheelie bin anyone?)...... otherwise the last govt made an absolute career out of making up new offences where the money could have been better spent equipping the police to enforce existing legislation, and ensuring the CPS and Magistrates courts took old legislation seriously when faced with it.
 

jdtate101

Ex-Fatman
Some people enjoy making them out to be worse than they are (Daily Fail headlines about local authorities invoking terrorist legislation to snoop inside your wheelie bin anyone?)...... otherwise the last govt made an absolute career out of making up new offences where the money could have been better spent equipping the police to enforce existing legislation, and ensuring the CPS and Magistrates courts took old legislation seriously when faced with it.

"Need a fine...invent a crime"...good old Liebour at it's finest.
 
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