WIFE

The four articles that turn burglary into aggravated burglary under section 10 of the Theft Act 1968, and how they differ from the section 1 PACE search list.

The expansion

W: Weapon of offence
I: Imitation firearm
F: Firearm
E: Explosive

What it is for

WIFE is the list a recruit recites for aggravated burglary: the things a burglar must have with them at the time for the offence to carry a maximum of life imprisonment. The letters follow the Act's own definitions. This is training shorthand; no College of Policing or force document found on 19 October 2026 sets the letters out, and the rule it stands for is in section 10 of the Theft Act 1968.

Where it comes from

Section 10(1) of the Theft Act 1968 (Crown copyright, read 19 October 2026): "A person is guilty of aggravated burglary if he commits any burglary and at the time has with him any firearm or imitation firearm, any weapon of offence, or any explosive". The subsection defines each term:

"firearm" includes an airgun or air pistol
"imitation firearm" means "anything which has the appearance of being a firearm, whether capable of being discharged or not"
"weapon of offence" means "any article made or adapted for use for causing injury to or incapacitating a person, or intended by the person having it with him for such use"
"explosive" means "any article manufactured for the purpose of producing a practical effect by explosion, or intended by the person having it with him for that purpose"

Section 10(2): a person guilty of aggravated burglary "shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for life".

Weapon of offence is wider than the offensive weapon definition in section 1(9) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, an article "made or adapted for use for causing injury to persons"; section 10 adds "incapacitating".

When it is used

When deciding the charge for a burglar found with an article, and in the exam questions that test it.

Recruits meet a different list for stop and search. Section 1 of PACE lets a constable search for "stolen or prohibited articles", bladed or pointed articles under section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, corrosive substances, and fireworks held in breach of fireworks regulations. Section 1(7) defines a prohibited article as an offensive weapon or an article made, adapted or intended for use in burglary, theft, taking a conveyance, fraud, criminal damage, or the public order offences added in December 2023. Those are search grounds, not aggravating factors, and WIFE does not cover them.

This page is educational information about how officers are trained.

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Sources

Last updated 19 October 2026. Reviewed 19 October 2026