Any police about? Need input

[MolliciousIntent]

Need some information about what rights people have vis a vis the police... If they ask to question you in relation to a crime, are you allowed to say no? What can they do if you say no? What happens if you refuse to answer their questions? Can you be arrested for not cooperating?

Lawyer here. There are a lot are very silly comments on this thread. The police do a difficult and invaluable job, and the vast majority do so pretty well, particularly bearing in mind the limited/stretched resources. Unless you’ve committed an offence, my professional advice would be to cooperate with them fully!

So if I'd done that, people would've got away with assault and I'd have been arrested for something that was not a police issue.
🤷🏼‍♀️

Interestingly, the woman harassing me calls herself a lawyer. It means nothing. If you want credibility, name your profession.

@MrsMorton i couldn’t give two hoots if you believe me or not. Those with any level of intellect and common sense know the right answer here anyway.

FWIW, Barrister, 18 years call

Hope to fuck I never meet you IRL. Your contempt for
the commoners oozes out of you. Check your privilege and pity anyone on your client list.

But then, your username tells me everything I need to know about you.

aw i knew Felix would turn up. Aw. Full of the usual bullshit.
And a few others: we don't trust you. The reasons are out there for all to see and the fact that so many of you STILL don't get it, is worrying.

Lovely to see vicar here - thanks for being the voice of police reason so often.

I'm a police officer but it appears that there is such mistrust and misinformation my advice would not be welcome .
Your advice is completely welcome and valid. There are some people on here peddling absolute nonsense and trying to push some ridiculous anti-Police agenda. They are very foolish.

The reason there is an "anti police agenda" on this and so many threads, is that so many of us have had less than stellar interactions with the police. Who would rather go for the low-hanging fruit, every time, rather than exercise a bit of common sense, a tiny little bit of research and understanding, and not have to put themselves out. Especially for women.

And if the police officers on here don't recognise that? They're not paying attention

I have regular dealings with the police in my professional life - and the overwhelming majority have been very nice, patient and approachable. It was my bad luck that the two I encountered were not; but what made it frightening was the fact that I felt utterly powerless.

I was on my own, not a very busy area so not many people about. I felt very vulnerable because they were so confrontational - when I asked why they'd stopped me they gave a reason which was something I had not done. When I corrected them and explained that I hadn't done what they were saying, they gave another reason - again incorrect. We went through several rounds of this and it was only when I pointed out that they seemed to be coming up with these scenarios that made no sense, that they backed off.

I'm not anti-police. But I do feel wary now. Had you asked me six months ago, I would have been firmly in the camp of "co-operate fully, nothing to worry about if you have nothing to hide etc".

Everyone announces their names and collar numbers at the beginning of the interview, the solicitor will already have them and you can apply for a copy of the recording.

brefugee I do recognise why particularly a lot of women are very mistrusting. Many forces really have shot them selves (and their officers- good and bad ) in the foot .
Policing needs a big old overhaul. Better training. No blagging it . No shame in saying "I dont know what I'm doing I'll get advice "

More being called out when someone gets it wrong so it can be put right . More humility.

Oh and more women in the job and more older people with some life experience behind them . More empathy . Less judging.

So much wrong and misleading information on this thread. I’m in the police and other than taking the free legal advice, most of the rest of the responses here are wrong.

And as a copper, a No comment interview is my favourite because I make sure I cover any possible defences, and by going no comment you negate those. Remember, a defence solicitor doesn’t actually care how long you go down for if there’s compelling evidence against you.

if you’re victim/witness and refuse to help out, then you are part of the problem

@stillvicarinatutu totally agree with that also. I think uniform frontline have lost their way due to eroded budgets and escalating pressures (thanks Tories)

I agree . Also think standards have dropped in recruitment, and lack of numbers means less thorough investigation. Also less proactive policing to prevent crime . I feel we're just playing g catch up all the time after the event .

I had a situation last year where I dealt with an initial appointment for an elderly widow who had been befriended by an elderly gent .
Only he got obsessed. She tried to gently back away - he wouldn't have it . Began to properly stalk her . Contacted her family , the church , and started really frightening her by saying he could see her lights weren't on and if she didn't respond to him he would have to break in to check she was ok.
She had repeatedly asked him to stop and leaver her alone. He wouldn't .

I spent ages with her , took a good statement, she had some creepy cards he"d posted with bizarre messages in them , she was really scared .

It got passed to a male response cop who tried to deal with it by way of restorative justice !

I'd kept an eye on it - so I asked the Sgt in the da team to respond to the cops suggested disposal.
She waded in and said nope - cannot deal with it that way .

That cop went absolutely out of his bloody way to ignore policy , a sgt in the da team , and he was hell bent on an rj.

In the end the chief super came to me and talked to me about it - he asked me to write my own statement to say how frightened she was , what she'd told me , her demeanour etc . This woman had 50+ messages from this bloke maki g all manner of insidious threats and I'd detailed them verbatim in the statement.

It took for me , a domestic abuse team Sgt and finally a chief super to try and force that pc to deal with it properly and even then he refused - he kept citing his age - yes he was an elderly man but bloody scary and committing the crime of stalking g and harassment! In the end the DA team dealt with it when he turned up outside her address at 2 in the morning.

So I can understand the mistrust . That was just one job I know of because I kept an eye on it and had a vested interest in.

I do sometimes think big beefy blokes dont understand the fear that something like this engenders in an elderly female victim .

I know that officer was reported to psd. The chief super did it . But he wouldn't have known if I had t kept my eye on it .

My best friend works within the council dealing with complex lives cases . So she works a lot with street sex workers.

She tells me the number of times they tell her they've been raped but won't report it . There's a reason for that .

And as a copper, a No comment interview is my favourite because I make sure I cover any possible defences, and by going no comment you negate those. Remember, a defence solicitor doesn’t actually care how long you go down for if there’s compelling evidence against you.

can you not see this is one of the reasons people like me hold you in complete contmpt?

And this is why you do not attend voluntary interviews.

They are playing you all the time for their own benefit. They aren't your friends.

If you think you are suspected of a crime, my advice would be to agree to a voluntary interview but arrange for a lawyer to accompany you/use the free legal advice. If they want to interview you, they'll either do it via voluntary interview or arrest you. A voluntary interview is preferable to an arrest. However I would not recommend speaking to any police officer as a potential suspect without a lawyer with you to advise.

If you're a witness, they can only ask you to speak to them.

On what grounds are you giving that 'advice'?

Brefugee ·
aw i knew Felix would turn up. Aw. Full of the usual bullshit.

So what 'bulshit' have i said on this thread then? What do you disagree with from what I have written here?

Its funny how me and Vicar agree on everything we write, but yet you agree with Vicar and not me.

And what 'low hanging fruit' do we go for?

Vol interviews either with or without a solicitor. Remember you can stop the interview at any point if you want to speak with a solicitor.

these can be done at a police station or at your home address. Takes about 20 minutes (depending on the case). The enquiry can be NFA'd after this without the need to purse it through CPS or the courts if there is insufficient evidence to proceed further.

Just may save you the need to go to court and present your defence and have the court case adjourned for a future date.

I am so glad you were looking out for that lady Vicar. I agree - more women, older officers with some diversity of experience. The two that stopped me were both young (mid-20s I think). Really gung-ho to the point of almost being aggressive.

if you’re victim/witness and refuse to help out, then you are part of the problem

I think that's a hugely unfair statement @Bunnyfuller

I know someone who witnessed a crime on the street where she lives. The police told her that they would come round later to get a statement from her. In the interim, she had petrol splashed on her front door and an unlit box of matches left on the step as a warning. Single Mum with three kids in the house. She didn't give a statement and I don't blame her.

I realise that it must be hugely frustrating to not have the statements and evidence you need. But spare a thought for ordinary people who have to live amongst the criminals you want them to denounce.

You're the absolute core of the problem. And you wonder why people think you're scum.

You're the absolute core of the problem. And you wonder why people think you're scum.