Getting out of handcuffs?

[FrostedWoods]

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! 😄

As one or two here have said - now that the novelty of being handcuffed and escaping has worn off I think you need to be asking a few questions.

Mainly, what on earth was going on, why were they at your address, why were your arrested?

They should have their camera's switched on and so there should be some evidence of events.

Any queries you have should be aimed at someone fairly high up the chain - not just the staff on the desk.

Well if it’s what you said it sounds like it may possibly have been an illegal arrest. They have to have reasonable suspicion that you have committed a crime and I’m not sure thinking there was someone at your house is reasonable suspicion. You could get a good compensation payout.

but in answer to your question I have EDS and can collapse my hands in sideways and they are no wider than my wrists. I reckon I could get out of handcuffs.

You've been cuffed many many times? How intriguing

Even if it was a detainment rather than an arrest they still have to have a lawful reason for detention. They can’t just do it. So they can do a stop and search, or to prevent a breach of the peace, or under the mental health act. They’re not allowed to just detain you while deciding what to do.

https://iaingould.co.uk/2021/07/09/can-police-officers-detain-you-whilst-deciding-whether-or-not-to-arrest-you/

I've been handcuffed at the back once and they where very tight I had marks from them for days after. They can loosen or tighten them but they obviously didn't feel like you where a risk to them or a flight risk so didn't worry to much about how they put them on

Handcuffs are probably designed for the average sized male and hence why a woman with much smaller hands could probably slip them off with little effort.

I’d be asking some questions of the police if I were you.

When I got arrested last year, the six officers who came to my house didn’t cuff me. I asked them not to because my DD2 was upset and I pointed out that, as a middle aged woman, I was hardly likely to be a flight risk.

Which bit?

Police got the wrong house - has happened to me twice now, two seperate properties.

Police show up with no warning whatsoever and search a property - has happened to me once.

Police show up insistent that someone is at your address who isn't, and you've never heard of them - happened to me once.

The first occasion wasn't a total surprise I was expecting police to come and take a statement regarding the burglary of the shop opposite my flat that I had witnessed and called in. I did not expect to have my flat turned over at 7am by police insistent that I had been seen coming out of the shop in question carrying loads of booze and cigs. Overzealous inventive witness further up the street had seen me outside my flat (where I could get a phone signal) after the robbery and decided they'd seen something they hadn't.

The second occasion was in the current house, police insistent someone was here that they were looking for. They did eventually accept that I wasn't the person they had down as being at this address and later still, realised my address wasn't the address they were after at all.

First time I did get an apology from the original crew who had talked to me at the scene, been shown where the theives drove off from, when they came to take my statement. Second time, no apology at all but they had just stood on the doorstep and argued with me rather than actually come in and trashed my property!

This happened to my son as a teenager. He and his pals were hanging about the town centre and the police put the 4 of them in van - they used to dump them out of the town so they had to walk back ! He was handcuffed behind his back but managed to slip them off much to the police's amazement.
They asked him how he did it and he replied " because I'm fu*ng Houdini "
I thought it was funny 🤣

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

The police seem to do a lot of things for shits and giggles. There are constant new stories about it, often followed by the chief constable (or whatever they're called these days) apologising in public

I’m more intrigued as to why you’ve been handcuffed many times!
Unless it’s sexual related, in which case as you were….

One of the most bizarre things I've ever read.

Why are you finding it all so hilarious, op? I'd be absolutely steaming livid. And if it then emerged it was a prank/not real police, I'd devote my life to finding out who it was and then make them pay.

Enter a formal complaint. The whole thing sounds like a gigantic co-up on the police's part.

Fuck around & Find out.

It's a police saying

I would phone and ask what the hell happened. Why would they arrest you when they realised they were in the wrong house !

I can believe it. I have never had as much as any points on my licence after driving for 30 years. I have no convictions or prior arrests. I was arrested on a Sunday in January in 2024. I was ‘processed’ then detained in a cell for 21 hours. I was interviewed under caution with a duty solicitor present.

Really uncomfortable! I've had bruises come up.

Oh, I've spoke to the police and it was really police. I've put a complaint in.

Well presumably they can't just slam handcuffs on children? Resemble some mugshot? What?!

Yes, I'm just not sure what they said they were arresting me for.

I wouldn't say quickly. The whole 'checking everyone was ok' went on endlessly. Honestly it was actually farcical. I'm not sure if to write this because it sounds made up but I promise is true. The police officer who was going round my house 'checking everyone was safe' had to call for back up because she was too scared to climb the loft ladder without someone holding it. The faffing was insane.

I assume it must be something along those lines. And I agree just so incompetent. I could say so much more about what happened but it will sound like I'm exaggerating.

What offence is that then? 🤔

I suppose you have to just pretend you've been detained but it all just makes you feel a bit embarrassed for them that they can't seem to manage to actually detain you 😂