to think you should be able to have a quiet drink in a pub without being strip searched?

[WhiteTrash]

My brother was with some friends in a local pub when police burst in for a drugs raid. All the males were taken in to the male toilets and strip searched. Right down to squatting and being asked to pull his bum cheeks apart. The girls were taken by female officers into the female cubicles but my brother doesnt know the extent if their search.

My brother and his friends had nothing on them (they only went in for a quiet pint) and no arrests were made.

I was shocked when I heard, I couldnt believe my brother had to do that. I felt the police were BU. My mum seems to think fairs fair and if the police need to raid, they need to raid. Its just a bummer (no pun intended) that my brother was there at the time.

What do you think?

The Pouch Of Douglas was evolved for just that purpose, I believe...

That's scary. I'd end up getting tasered or something. As an obsessively law abiding, pacifist aspie, with serious autonomy and sensory issues, this would be the one instance where I'd go down fighting. Till my last breath.

i know everyone is saying they dont believe it but it happened to me... with the squatting and underwear removed... this was in someones flat, but they went to the wrong flat! was only 16 at the time, it was horrible, but too young and niave to make a complaint, but i felt dirty afterwards.

I'd tell em if they wanted my bum cheeks parting they'd have to do it themselves. Then I'd sue them for assault.

A similar thing has also happened to a friend of DH's who was innocently drinking in a bar which was raided. He said he was too shocked to question it at the time and nobody else who was searched objected either. He is not the sort to get into trouble and wouldn't think of arguing with a police officer.

Good advice there VivaleBeaver (apt name) if they want to see my knackered fanjo and chocolate starfish then I would not be going down without a fight or compensation.

I seriously cannot believe that the police go round looking up people's bums. They must be having a laugh, surely?

PACE

Terrorism act. Police can do what they want if they invoke it and I've seen it been invoked for non terrorism reasons just so the police could do something they wanted to.

TBh after having a 9.5lb baby I could probably safely conceal a crack pipe and 2 kilos of heroin up my fud. Do the police carry dust busters with them to do a through search?

Well, if this sort of thing happens then I stand corrected.

I must admit I'm confused though as to what constitues custody then.

I know the police can carry out pat-down searches at the scene etc. but I was always under the impression that a strip-search or body search had to happen down at the station in the custody suite.

"An intimate search is a search of the bodily orifices (other than the mouth). It should be conducted by a suitably qualified person unless this is impracticable and done in the presence of two other people. An intimate search requires the authorisation of an inspector and may only be made in one of the following circumstances:[29]

Condition Consent Place
The inspector reasonably believes
that the detainee has concealed on him anything he could use and might use in police detention or custody of the court to cause physical injury to himself or others; and
that the article in question cannot be found unless the detainee is intimately searched.
Consent is not necessary for the search to take place and reasonable force may be used to conduct the search. Police station, hospital, surgery or other medical premises.

The inspector reasonably believes
that the detainee may have a Class A drug concealed on him;
that the detainee was in possession of the drug before his arrest with intention to illegally supply or export it; and
that it cannot be found unless the detainee is intimately searched.
Consent for the search is necessary. If the detainee refuses to give consent, proper inferences may be drawn but force may not be used. Hospital, surgery or other medical premises.

Says here that police can carry out a strip search but if they want to do an invasive search Which involves an internal then they need a special warrant and a medical practiser must do the search.

But this obviously doesn't happen in practice as I've seen it done on road wars with no warrant and no dr. If they're happy to go against regulations on national tv I dread to think what they do when the cameras aren't rolling.

Tell your brother he could get some compensation, he may be more interested.

www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/your_rights/legal_system_index_scotland/police_powers_scotland.htm

Sorry, just realised that only applies to Scotland.

But here says the same about it being a medical person doing the search and that it should be done at a medical premesis.

www.freebeagles.org/articles/Legal_Booklet_4/lb4-6.html

It doesn't have to be. And they don't have to arrest them for them to be in custody either.

laurie are you telling me that the police could knock on my door right now, tell me i am in police custody (without arresting me)and make me do a strip search in my kitchen without any medical person there and without a warrant or giving me any paperwork to explain what was happening, why it had happened, who was present etc?

Booyhoo - yes it looks like the police can and do exactly that, even on the strength of an anonymous phone call. www.thestar.co.uk/news/police_strip_search_anger_1_292188

It seems that when looking for drugs (or similar) ,the police can 'detain' rather than arrest, so while you don't have your DNA and fingerprints taken and end up with permanent police record, you fall into a murky black hole with regard to your rights.

that is very scary!