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Original poster

Getting out of handcuffs?

258 replies

FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 14:34

This is such a bizarre thing to write about but hear me out!

Had a weird situation with the police last night. Won't fully go into it but they mistakenly thought there was a criminal in my house and I was arrested then unarrested when they realised their mistake. I was put into handcuffs. I have hypermobility. And I think due to this I could get out of the cuffs pretty easily. Has anyone else experienced this?

I was so suprised at how easy they are to get out of. Do they have any kind of back up if they really need to keep someone secure? Just keep thinking about it! 😄

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:25

gryffindor1979 · 01/01/2026 16:52

They do have a right to enter without a warrant , actually. But if they were actually really police officers looking for an offender who was at large, they should have explained the circs, given ground for arrest if she was arrested , and cautioned her. If they then realised they were at the wrong address they should have explained what had happened, why it had happened , and apologised. I would phone and make a complaint and get them to check the BWV

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I've made a complaint. They were clearly just completely incompetent so I don't think they had any grounds to enter. I won't hold my breath for an apology!

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:23

Naws · 01/01/2026 16:50

Yeah, nah.

She was apparently arrested so she should've stayed in the cuffs until she was de-arrested.

Not that she knows what she was arrested or de-arrested for, just that the police were apparently shouting into the loft that they knew the man they were looking for was in there, rather than actually searching it.

If they did cuff her, it wasn't for shits and giggles.

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Um...well what did they cuff me for? It didn't detain me...so what exactly was the point? I think the police work on a different logic to the rest of us. In the real world if what you are doing isn't effective...you don't just keep doing the same?!

OP posts:
Cerialkiller · 01/01/2026 22:21

DH and I have recently been watching publicised police body cam (American). Some very interesting cases, but we were both shocked by the number of times people (always women) could slip the handcuffs and run off. I'm surprised that this isn't included in training as it must happen often enough to be brought up!

Burntt · 01/01/2026 22:20

I’m hyper mobile. I could get my arms to the front if they were cuffed behind my back definitely. Not sure if I could slob the cuffs off, weirdly want to try now, I can move the ball of my hand at the base of my thumb into my palm so unless they were done very tight I suspect I could slip them.

im sorry you and your kids went through that. Sounds horrible

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:19

Ilovelurchers · 01/01/2026 16:47

I know Mumsnet generally places an extraordinary amount of faith in the police, and rules in general, but I still can't quite believe you are telling her that it was her responsibility, when the police erroneously entered her house close to midnight on Christmas Eve, frightening her disabled children, and placed her painfully in handcuffs for absolutely no fucking reason, to retain those handcuffs on her wrists so as to avoid any form of disobedience to authority?

You do know what this kind of blind obedience to the rules can lead to, right?

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I think this is exactly what the police expected. Me to be blindly obedient to them. And to pretend the big strong police man had detained me when clearly he hadn't. They were honestly so incompetent. It was a real eyeopener. I'm not sure what qualifications police have to have...a degree at least? I don't know. But these ones just weren't very intelligent. There was an agreement at one point that this person had 'escaped out the back' when there literally would be nowhere for them to go. They couldn't follow the logic that if a woman was heard to scream close by and it wasn't me the only woman in the house then it could well have been one of my neighbours.

OP posts:
HoppityBun · 01/01/2026 22:19

FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:40

Honestly looking at the grounds on which they could enter my home I don't think there were any grounds.

It has also crossed my mind that the whole arresting and handcuffing was just the officer having a tantrum because I told her no. They were very young and very arrogant.

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Make a subject access request within 31 days of yesterday preferably tomorrow for the body cam footage

Naws · 01/01/2026 22:17

HoppityBun · 01/01/2026 22:16

Well RTFT plenty of people including an ex copper have explained when and why people are cuffed at the front and how the tightness varies and why.

Plenty of other posters have spoken of getting out of cuffs.

The OP was most likely detained and not arrested and she wasn’t left in the building.

There are plenty of examples of police going to the wrong address and of making mistakes, including on this thread.

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The OP was most likely detained and not arrested and she wasn’t left in the building.

She's adamant they used the words arrested and un-arrested.

Naws · 01/01/2026 22:16

How many times did you pull them off?

And why since you were under arrest, didn't they simply hold your wrists so you couldn't?

HoppityBun · 01/01/2026 22:16

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Well RTFT plenty of people including an ex copper have explained when and why people are cuffed at the front and how the tightness varies and why.

Plenty of other posters have spoken of getting out of cuffs.

The OP was most likely detained and not arrested and she wasn’t left in the building.

There are plenty of examples of police going to the wrong address and of making mistakes, including on this thread.

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:11

miamo12 · 01/01/2026 16:46

I had cuffs put on me demonstrating at a youth event I was leading with the community policing team and I could get my hands out (in front of me not behind) the police officer was surprised but said cuffs are principally made to restraint men, I have mild level (if that’s the right term) hyper mobility and other weirdness

Haha other weirdness! It's like the police just go through the motions. There was zero point of these cuffs being on me but we had to pretend different. Was really weird.

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:09

butterpuffed · 01/01/2026 16:45

Are you being serious?!!! Suspects are handcuffed according to how serious their suspected crime is ?? So a murderer would be handcuffed more tightly than a burglar for instance . 😅

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It does seem bizarre. In my mind what is the point of putting cuffs on someone if it does nothing (except injure them) and everyone just has to pretend the cuffs are doing something?! I honestly can't get my head round it. It was the way they got really het up when I took them off but were fine as long as I kept them on even though they had no effect in detaining me.

OP posts:
UnemployedNotRetired · 01/01/2026 22:05

FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:04

But they had the wrong place so I don't think they had any grounds for entering my property.

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If you want to sue, then start by contacting the blackbeltbarrister, either on Youtube or X

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:04

gryffindor1979 · 01/01/2026 16:43

No, they don’t need a warrant.

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But they had the wrong place so I don't think they had any grounds for entering my property.

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 22:02

gryffindor1979 · 01/01/2026 16:40

Sounds as though there was a report of someone at an address (believed to be yours ) assisting an offender unlawfully at large. But in order to arrest and detain you, they would have needed to tell you the griunds for arrest and caution you. If they didn’t do either of these things I would phone and make a complaint. certainly in our force all police wear BWV now so this can be checked.

They did do that but I was in flight or fight at this point so my frontal cortex had shut off.

OP posts:
ThePieceHall · 01/01/2026 22:00

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Well, I got arrested without being handcuffed. I was also allowed to make a call to a fellow school mum to arrange a lift to school for my DD2 (then seven) while in the back of the police car being taken to the police station to be charged. I realise now that this is/was a huge breach of protocol. I found the police to be exceptionally kind and understanding.

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:59

IDontHateRainbows · 01/01/2026 16:32

Yeah I was thinking the same

Strangest thing I've heard all year!

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Strangest thing that has ever happened to me!

OP posts:
diddl · 01/01/2026 21:52

FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:43

But what were their grounds for thinking I was harbouring a criminal? Also are they allowed to lie about their reason for entering your house?

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I didn't mean you specifically but if they suspect someone is.

But I was just about to ask you the same thing.

Why did they think that there was a criminal in your house?

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:51

Nomoreink · 01/01/2026 16:15

But did they take off their shoes 😂😂

No they bloody didn't! 😂 This officer was an absolute menace - leaving my back door open, left the loft ladder down despite knowing there were 2 autistic children not being looked after. Apparently she is 'good with kids'. I could hear her yanking on my loft ladder rather than properly opening it...had to explain to her how it worked...literally no common sense.

OP posts:
FrangipaniBlue · 01/01/2026 21:48

I have hyper mobility and can pull my thumb and pinky fingers across my palm in a way that makes my hand narrower than my wrist.

This means I too, can slip out of handcuffs!

(for clarification I have never been arrested!)

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:46

BitzNBobz · 01/01/2026 16:13

I think the correct terminology would be that you were detained rather than arrested.

This happens when they think you may be obstructive to their search/operation/whatever is going on.

No experience myself but have watched probably far too many police reality shows and body cam videos 😝

I don't know the correct terminology but she said she was arresting me and then 'unarresting' me. Didn't know you could be 'unarrested' but you clearly can!

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:43

diddl · 01/01/2026 16:06

So if they thought that you were harbouring a criminal they don't need a warrant to enter the house & search?

But what were their grounds for thinking I was harbouring a criminal? Also are they allowed to lie about their reason for entering your house?

OP posts:
Naws · 01/01/2026 21:43

ExhaustedPigeon37 · 01/01/2026 21:39

Cable ties!? 😂 the police do not routinely carry cable ties to handcuff people. I’m assuming the OP is in the UK!

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Oh do read my posts properly.

I said the cable tie TYPE.

The restraints that are regularly used on wrists and feet when someone tries to escape or poses a threat.

Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:41

Starseeking · 01/01/2026 16:05

The police have to tell you what they are arresting you for, they don’t just whack on handcuffs and say you’re under arrest!

Yes, I know.

OP posts:
Original poster
FrostedWoods · 01/01/2026 21:40

KaleidoscopeSmile · 01/01/2026 16:04

Best to co - operate or FAFO as they say

I don't like this attitude which allows the police to do whatever they want whether they're being reasonable or not. This is how we've got to the point of the police being able to enter someone's house by lying as was apparently the case here. We're not the US and the police aren't gods.

Honestly looking at the grounds on which they could enter my home I don't think there were any grounds.

It has also crossed my mind that the whole arresting and handcuffing was just the officer having a tantrum because I told her no. They were very young and very arrogant.

OP posts:
ExhaustedPigeon37 · 01/01/2026 21:39

Naws · 01/01/2026 21:26

If they wanted to go harder, they would've put the cable tie types on and hands behind your back.

But the whole thing is very odd.

You not remembering what you were apparently arrested for and them shouting into a loft for a man they were looking for, like they're going to follow it up with "Coming, ready or not".

Then there's the fact you appear to find it hilarious, despite your two children witnessing it.

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Cable ties!? 😂 the police do not routinely carry cable ties to handcuff people. I’m assuming the OP is in the UK!