to ask whether you've ever been arrested?

[doremimimi]

And if so for what?
And what was your experience like?

don't all speak at once!

Age 16, for stealing make up from Boots. Got cautioned and any record was destroyed at 17. Scared the living daylights out of me and I’ve never done it since 35 years on. Your lipstick is now safe with me.

I've not been arrested, although I admit I have often wondered what it would be like. Yes, be careful what you wish for, for many people it's a terrible reality, and so on.

I did satisfy my curiosity when a crown court had an open day (I'm surprised that was possible, in this age of austerity), and I saw the custody suite accessed from a narrow staircase: bare cells, no daylight, toilet with half-height door. The staff told us how busy they were just after the London riots, working shifts through the day and night. We also saw the inside of a custody van, and were locked in the cells inside; there were no seatbelts, perhaps for a good reason. This vehicle contained disposable urinals (plastic bags).

In a way, it's reassuring to read here about lying exes being charged with wasting police time.

Yes, but I kicked the doors off the black maria and escaped shouting, “you’ll never take me alive!”

I have, I was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in a public place. I wouldn't say I was disorderly, I was just sitting in a door way of a closed building in town (during a night out) eating a mcdonalds trying to sing. I wasn't in my local town and had no way home so when the police asked me if I was okay I got aggressive and said do I look like in fucking okay and so on. So they arrested me, turns out the arresting officer was the mother of a girl of had a run in with a few weeks prior. I just slept in the cells for a few hours, must of been a busy night as they let me go with an fine of £80 I think it was at 3 o'clock in the morning 🙄

No. I'd lose my job if I got arrested. No one in my family or my partner's have ever had any brushes with the law at all.

The idiot who claimed he was fearing for his life, remains an idiot in my eyes. When I was released, it was part of my bail, that I couldn't go back to that house. Therefore I was homeless. So I ran in front of a bus in desperation and was hit by said bus. I was then sectioned and eventually given emergency accommodation by the council after a battle with psychiatrists. They couldn't release me back without accommodation to go to apparently, so I was kept an extra two nights in a psychiatric hospital, as I had nowhere to go.

And yet you still maintain he would have known for certain that when you were drunk, extremely distressed and agitated with a knife in your hand, you absolutely would never have harmed him?

Come on. He's by no means an idiot for thinking there was a chance you might have.

No, although I am an independent custody visitor and visit custody suites to check on the wellbeing and treatment of detainees. DH was arrested twice but released without charge on both occasions. First as a teen for chopping down a tree, second for being in the company of his brother who had a stolen motorbike.

As part of my job I can see people's "record" - I was staggered by just how many people have skeletons in their closet, even if it was a shoplifting offence in their teens

Back in 1981 I was arrested at an anti nuclear war demonstration.
I was charged with breach of the peace, obstruction and assault.
The assault was knocking the coppers helmet off when he was arresting me. ( Which earned me a smack in the face by said copper )
I was held in the cells with 2 of my comrades and fined £20 for obstruction and £12 for breach of the peace. A large sum back then.
The assault charge was dropped.
I was in the cells 18 hours before being placed in front of the magistrates, who told me I was very lucky not to be going to jail.
I've been a model citizen since.

No but when I wrote off my car I had one drink then been sick, the police told me if I failed the breathalyser I would have to go to the cells. I was petrified, thankfully I wast over the limit but even now 10 years later I won't drive even if I've only hAd one.

No but was threatened with it once about 20 years ago by a jobsworth ticket inspector at Waterloo. Not sure if he had the powers actually, I suspect he'd have had to get the BTP to follow me to Waterloo East (where I put my perfectly valid ticket through the barriers). The train was ludicrously late and so I objected to showing my ticket to him especially as it had been checked on the train. Anyway I wasn't quite bolshy enough to find out if he did have the powers, and was already very late, so reluctantly stopped and showed him my ticket.

Yes, at 18.

I'd found myself in a stupid situation, pregnant and living in a squat with the scum I stupidly called my DP at the time. I had a loving family and couldn't muster the courage to admit my mistake.
Anyway, transpired he'd back wired the electric meter and was then so astoundingly clever he let the guy in to read it.

The officer was lovely. He tried bless him. I was never put in cells, told quietly to deny all knowledge and given a hot meal and a drink. He desperately tried to talk me into going home to my parents but at that time I wasn't ready. In the end he finished his shift, took me to my cousins house and told me to look after myself and get out before the baby came.
I wish I could thank him but it was so many years ago. What I suspect he was alluding to that I found out a few years later at an adoption hearing was that 'DP' had a record that spanned years and was very comprehensive indeed.

I did get out, and before DC was born. I often ponder where I'd be if I hadn't.

Nope. Arrested plenty of people though

No, I've been stopped and searched for possession of cannabis. Group of us in the park sharing a joint and we were just unlucky the police just wandered around the corner. We all rolled our eyes mentioned what a waste of his time it was but we were co-operative to his questions and the search but even the officer agreed and said it was daft but at least he didn't have to bother with taking anyone to the station and he could issue the caution and fine there and then.

@doremimimi

Yes - many many years ago so not in these days relevant I'd guess.

Please remember that a police officer may arrest anyone if s/he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that they have committed an arrestable offence. It does not mean that you are guilty or that you would be charged. These days [after PACE - The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984] you will be entitled to a [duty] solicitor and will be interviewed on tape and given a copy of the tape. Unless a very serious matter you will be "bailed" or "released under investigation" [there is little practical difference] while the decision is taken whether to charge.

Interviewing has changed these days and there is an effort to find out the facts rather than to extract a "confession".

Name changed for this and will be vague.

Yes, for a financial crime related to someone else’s line of work. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. A police officer kept asking me why I was crying. The reason was I hadn’t done anything and I’m the type of person who used to hate getting a 15 minute detention at school for not doing my home work, let alone being arrested!

I was charged as well but found not guilty very quickly by the jury. Having spent much of the trial clearly struggling with the whole thing, the juror couldn’t get the words ‘not guilty’ out quick enough when they returned the verdict. The defining moment of the trial was when my barrister asked “what evidence is there to show that Ms Wobbel did X” and the police officer in charge of the investigation said “there is none”. I still don’t understand how it all happened if that was the case and I felt so angry at how unjust it seemed.

To this day it impacts me. The other day someone knocked on my door and I went into a complete panic and freaked out. It was the postman but in my head it’s the police all over again. I had CBT about it all and as I said to the therapist “I should be able to rationalise this and know that obviously it is not the police knocking at my door however, how can I because as far as I was concerned they should never have been at my door ever but they were?”

The only two things that I try to take as positives (if they can be called that) are that I had 18 character references from people who knew me well and a couple of people laughed when I told them what was going on as they would describe me as the least likely person to get in trouble with the police. I’m also pleased for the way I dealt with the prosecuting barrister. I am a very anxious person who struggles with giving presentations at work, let alone being in court but somehow I pulled it out of the bag, managed to be very on the ball, not lose my trail of thought at all and showed how ridiculous his suggestions were. He ended up flustered and court took a break.

Aarg, crying as I typed this. It’s opened a can of worms.

Not been arrested but when I was a copper I loved working in the cells. The people in the cells didnt love it so much mind. I did experience one woman being brought in, she panicked after a car accident and drove and didnt stop for police either she was arrested.
First time ever she had any contact with police and she was worse to deal with that the worst criminals!
I think for most decent people the idea of being arrested and being in the cells would be mortifying, but then its not supposed to be a picnic and its certainly not on par with Hilton Hotels!

Not arrested myself but was a police and court duty solicitor for 10 years - so seen plenty of custody offices and cells

Quite a few times between 17-19 years of age.
The ones I remember the most
Being arrested due to fighting and break someones nose and cheek bone, I also had a fairly significant quantity of drugs on me, I narrowly avoided jail.

Being arrested due to a friend being assaulted, I pulled the other guy off him and I was the one arrested and he was let go. I wasn’t charged, but I got a night in the cells and my friend with a broken nose and ribs was left on his own by the police.

I have been stopped and searched countless times (I’m brown).

With respect OP you sound like a nightmare in custody.

With respect - you don't leave a suicidal 'prisoner' in solitary confinement for 72 hours and not expect some fall-out.

Yes I’ve been arrested, also been in military prison. Not proud of either. I was arrested and put in cell overnight for an alleged asssult, luckily the place had cctv and the complainer didn’t realise it. It was a false allegation. They let me go then arrested her the cell was freezing and the worse part was the door locking knowing you couldn’t get out. The toilet being out in the open was also awful. They were nice to me thigh and gave me magazines and food, Which was just microwave meals. I got a phone call to my husband which was piped through loudspeaker to my cell.
Military prison was very unpleasant, i reckon if all prisons were like that there would be a sharp decline in offending. I was in there for a couple of months.

OP you sound like a treat. I'm pleased you are better but you couldn't possibly have put yourself in the shoes of the flat mate. And whilst people in crisis do need help till the NHS offer 24/7 365 emergency response the cops are the only ones to pick it up.

You may prefer a shared cell you may have wanted to talk to someone but perhaps that person did not want to talk to someone in crisis. Perhaps they would take advantage of a person who is vulnerable.

Stop with the insults. They're unnecessary. And the lowest of the low.

'you're a treat'
'you're a nightmare'

No. I was mentally unwell.

Are you ok at the moment op? X