Policing.uk

Can police stop you for no reason?

Generally no. A stop and search under PACE s.1 requires reasonable grounds for suspicion. However, under s.60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, a senior officer can authorise stops without individual suspicion in an area where serious violence is anticipated.

The law

  • Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 1. Stop and search requires reasonable grounds to suspect stolen or prohibited articles. Cannot be based on appearance alone.
  • Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 60. Authorised stop and search without individual suspicion in areas where serious violence is anticipated. Inspector+ authorisation required.

What to do

  1. Ask whether you are being detained or are free to leave. If free, you can walk away.
  2. If being searched, ask under which power (PACE s.1, s.60 CJPOA, etc.) and what they are looking for.
  3. The officer must provide GOWISELY information: Grounds, Object, Warrant card, Identity, Station, Entitlement, Legal power, You are detained.
  4. Request a copy of the search record.
  5. If you believe the stop was unlawful, note the officer's details and complain.

In detail

The standard stop and search power under s.1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 requires the officer to have reasonable grounds to suspect that the person is carrying stolen articles, prohibited articles (offensive weapons, bladed articles), or items for use in certain crimes. Without these grounds, the stop is unlawful.

PACE Code A (paragraph 2.2) sets out what constitutes reasonable grounds for suspicion. It must be based on objective factors: intelligence, information, the person's behaviour, or the time and place. It cannot be based solely on a person's appearance, age, race, religion, or the fact that they match a generalised description.

However, there is an exception. Under s.60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, an officer of at least inspector rank can authorise stop and search powers in a specified locality for up to 24 hours (extendable to 48 hours by a superintendent) if they reasonably believe that incidents involving serious violence may take place, or that people are carrying dangerous instruments or offensive weapons. During a s.60 authorisation, officers can stop and search any person or vehicle without requiring individual suspicion.

Section 60 authorisations are used around football matches, following gang-related incidents, and in response to knife crime in specific areas. The authorisation must be in writing and can be extended by a superintendent.

Separately, under the Terrorism Act 2000, police previously had a power to stop and search without individual suspicion (s.44), but this was effectively struck down by the European Court of Human Rights in Gillan and Quinton v United Kingdom [2010]. The replacement power under s.47A (inserted by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) requires authorisation from a senior officer who reasonably suspects an act of terrorism will take place.

Police can approach anyone in the street and ask questions: this is not a stop and search. A consensual conversation where the officer asks "Can I speak to you?" does not require any legal power. You are free to walk away from a voluntary encounter. The crucial distinction is between a request (which you can decline) and the exercise of a statutory power (which you cannot).

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Last updated 16 October 2026