Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984

The foundational statute governing police powers and the rights of suspects and detainees in England and Wales. It regulates arrest, stop and search, entry and search of premises, seizure, detention, questioning, and the treatment of persons in custody. Supplemented by eight Codes of Practice (A to H) that set out detailed operational rules.

Key Provisions

• Section 1: power to stop and search persons and vehicles for stolen or prohibited articles
• Section 17: power to enter premises without warrant for specified purposes
• Section 18: power to enter and search premises of arrested person
• Section 24: constable's power of arrest without warrant
• Section 24A: citizen's power of arrest without warrant
• Section 37: duty of custody officer to determine whether to charge
• Section 41: time limits on detention without charge (up to 24 hours)
• Section 43: warrant of further detention (up to 96 hours with magistrate's authority)
• Section 56: right to have someone informed when arrested
• Section 58: right to consult a solicitor
• Section 76: exclusion of confessions obtained by oppression or unreliable means
• Section 78: general discretion to exclude unfair evidence
• Code A: stop and search
• Code B: search of premises and seizure
• Code C: detention, treatment, and questioning
• Code D: identification procedures
• Code G: arrest
• Code H: detention of terrorist suspects

Relevance to Policing

PACE is the primary reference for anyone seeking to understand police powers of arrest, search, and detention; the rights of suspects in custody; and the admissibility of evidence gathered through police action.