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!

Yes. Ten years ago. That was the experience that changed my life for the better. I am in a very good place right now. I don’t want to expand more as I don’t want to leave a trace of it online. But yes I have been arrested and spent a night in custody.

13 times in the early 90's like @NothingIsWrong at anti road protests.

Initial arrests for various, breach of the peace, criminal damage, assault, resisting arrest etc.

Wasn't ever actually charged with anything more serious than behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace though.

The arrests themselves were sometimes a bit scary but I knew the position I was putting myself in and was studiously non violent (but uncooperative) and did get a bit of a kicking a few times.

Once back at the station it was generally fine, I had nothing against the police for doing their job and it was mostly amicable and sometimes they were interested in the background and reason for protests.

I did learn to try and not get arrested on a Friday though because 3 days in a holding cell is a looong time.

Having enhanced DBS checks later in life did lead to some interesting conversations with headmasters when I worked with vulnerable children but was never refused a job for that reason.

I was told by a barrister that I was unlikely to get a visa for the US though so I guess the orange Comb-over-in-Chief will have to manage without my talents

Arrested somewhere between 10 - 20 times, I wouldn't say more than 20 but I suppose it is possible.

Around 5 nights in a police cell (only one night at a time, they'd have been separate occasions).

In court for two separate offences (at different times).

Not proud of the fact but I try not to be ashamed either, I can't change the past I can only hope to be a better person now and in the future. I like to think I've changed, it's been years and years since I was last arrested and hopefully I never will be again.

No never arrested thank god as I need a clean dbs check for my job. I have lost quite a lot of money in alcohol that the police have poured down the drain on me and my friends as teenagers though. Me and a friend managed to get a lift to the chip shop from them once though after a night out, she knew one of them through her older brother and she managed to convince him to give us a lift.

bloody scandal that our MH services are so under-resourced that it seems (at least in my area) that people routinely spend 72 hours helld in a police cell before being admitted.

Do you have any stats that back this up. My own first-hand experience is far less and people in police custody have committed a crime. Police stations are no longer a designated place of safety.

Thanks for that post @LakieLady

Police stations are no longer a designated place of safety.

Incorrect - they are the last port of call, but being in police custody (even in a van) is considered a place of safety.

Yes - I had committed a crime - I had made someone fear for their life *takes out smallest violin.

As to the pp - the worst time to get arrested is on the Friday of a bank holiday weekend lol.

@doremimimi
So you understand the necessity of arresting you, to prevent you harming that person.

Friday before bank holiday is no different to any Friday, courts still sit Saturday, and if your bailable it makes no odds.

Yes Affray sounds about right given the situation however I would have thought that you would have had to see the custody nurse for a start then the MH team and would have imagined the court would have looked into the mental health side of it, were you convicted at court?

Also I assume this was some time ago

Yes. I was in a club when an ex walked in and punched me in the face. Told the police who happened to be outside and they decided not to bother doing anything as it was “just a domestic”. I swore at police officer and got thrown in a cell for the night and cautioned with causing public alarm!

Also a police station is still a designated place of safety but as a last resort (not an option at all for under 18s now) whilst custody isn't the right place for someone suffering with a mental health episode sometimes it is the only option police have, police as usual being lumbered with the role of mental health crisis worker due to crippling cuts to MH services.
Majority of things are now left to police to deal due to the fact they cannot say no like some other organisations can

Yes - I had committed a crime - I had made someone fear for their life takes out smallest violin.

How awful you are. That person was likely very scared, I know when I had my knife wielding episode that people must have been frightened despite me knowing that I had no conscious intention at the time to harm anyone. I bet the police we're fearful too tbh, it's a completely rational reaction.

Were*

Yes Affray sounds about right given the situation however I would have thought that you would have had to see the custody nurse for a start then the MH team and would have imagined the court would have looked into the mental health side of it, were you convicted at court?

1. I don't need you to tell me what seems 'about right'.
2. No nurse, no doctor - apparently they consulted one who told them he/she couldn't prescribe sleeping tablets due to head injury - I never saw said doctor
3. I wasn't bailed - I was held in custody.
4. As I've said earlier - the police never showed up to the court hearing - by that time I was in the psychiatric hospital and accompanied by a nurse - the case was dismissed.

Yes - this would have been about 4 years ago I'd say.

Whohasknicked I get assault isn't ep ever ok but I think under those circumstances you were extremely restrained

Not arrested but cautioned. Not even sure if officially.
Aged 17 and 363 days a friend and I decided to cycle along the cycle route from home to the coast. About 8 miles. Get to coast and decide the bit we have got to is busy so stop and get off bikes. As we are dismounting 2 ununiformed police asked for a word. Then showed us badges. Said this section (about 30m!) is not cycle route. We apologised but said we were dismounting anyway as realised it wasn't safe and said we'd walk the rest of that bit. During this time 3 more people came along. 1 they knew by name (lad in his 20's) and 2 men with seats on back with children in. Those 3 were all just asked to dismount and let go.
I was a real goody 2 shoes child and was petrified at being pulled over by police. Went home and told my dad the whole story including the others.
When the police rang my dad was extremely firm with them (at the time our NDN ds was committing common assaults, affray etc continuously and had just been bailed to an address that had burnt down 3 months previously and still came to street despite not being allowed) and basically said he hoped they'd had their kicks out of scaring 2 young girls who were actually doing the sensible thing anything, hoped the men they'd let go were great full and wished them luck completing the paperwork before they had to cancel it off my record as I turned 18!
Never seen my dad like that before and never since.

To say that you were upset seeing someone cut themselves - yes - absolutely.
To say that you feared for your own life? Fuck no.

I wasn't waving a machete around and charging towards the precious snowflake, I was busy cutting my own wrist. I think the police knew they had no chance of getting a conviction for affray - hence the no-show.

I wasn't waving a machete around and charging towards the precious snowflake, I was busy cutting my own wrist

I wasn't charging towards anyone either but I still scared people.

Can you honestly not understand how frightening it is to witness someone harm themselves with a knife? The person would (rightly) be thinking you're not in your right mind and could harm them.

The charge was affray.
And your behaviour in the cell would have affirmed their decision to arrest you for that.

Of course it is frightening for the person witnessing you cutting your own wrist; they may have been terrified that, had they tried to stop you, you would turn the knife on them or just begun to behave erratically given your state of mind.

I have immense sympathy for anyone experiencing a MH crisis but to expect everyone to extend that sympathy to you OP yet show no consideration for the impact your actions had on others shows a either a serious lack of insight or a serious lack of care for others.

No, but I'd quite like to be arrested by Douglas Henshall (Perez from Shetland).

Called in for questioning over Assault but by the end of it they were asking me if I’d like to press the charges on the other party - but I don’t think that counts!

Never been arrested but have been stopped and searched at gunpoint by counter terrorism officers. Pro Tip - don't go to Trooping the Colour in old camo and, if you do, stop when you hear the phrase "Stop, police!"

Was also stopped at carbine point by the then Northern Ireland Secretary's guards at his home in Kent. Second Pro Tip - when giving driving directions be sure not to confuse "Next driveway on the left" with "Second driveway on the left". This is of particular note when it is the mid 90's and the Irish are being a bit bangy.

Never. Dbro did all the getting-arrested in my family. Once dressed in drag and nicking road signs; once for possession of baking soda.