Rights guides

When arrested, you must be told why, cautioned, and taken to a police station where your rights are explained and your detention is reviewed

A police caution is a formal warning given by police when a person admits guilt for a minor offence. It goes on your record and can have con

A voluntary interview is an interview under caution where you attend the police station without being arrested. You can leave at any time, b

Bail is the release of a person from custody, either with or without conditions, to return at a later date. Police bail conditions can restr

You can complain directly to the police force involved or to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which oversees serious complaints.

You can refer a complaint to the IOPC if you are unhappy with how a police force has handled your complaint, or if the matter is serious eno

Police can take a non-intimate DNA sample from you without consent if you have been arrested for a recordable offence. Rules on retention ar

For most offences, police can hold you for up to 24 hours without charge. This can be extended to 36 or 96 hours in limited circumstances.

If you are under 18, the police must contact an appropriate adult and cannot interview you without one present. Additional safeguards apply

You have the right to free legal advice before interview, the right to silence, and the right to have the interview audio recorded.

Police can force entry to premises in limited circumstances, including under a warrant or using specific powers of entry without a warrant.

Police generally need a warrant to enter your home, but there are specific statutory exceptions allowing entry without one in defined circum

During a dawn raid, police must normally have a valid warrant and must follow strict procedural requirements under PACE. You have the right

When police search your home, they must show you their authority, conduct the search with minimal disruption, and give you a record of what

It is generally legal to film police officers in public places. There is no law that specifically prohibits it, though limited restrictions

Police have no general power to stop you and check your immigration status. However, data sharing agreements with the Home Office mean that

Police can retain certain data about you, but there are strict rules governing the retention of DNA, fingerprints, photographs, and PNC reco

Police can seize property they reasonably believe is evidence of an offence or has been obtained through crime. They must give you a receipt

Police officers authorised to carry Tasers can deploy them when facing a threat of violence, subject to strict guidelines on proportionality

Police have several powers to seize vehicles, including for driving without insurance or a licence, anti-social use, as evidence of a crime,

There is no general obligation to give your name to the police in England and Wales. However, specific statutes create obligations in partic

Police must take account of your mental health needs throughout any encounter. You have the right to an appropriate adult if detained and to

Witnesses have legal protections including the right to special measures in court, protection from intimidation, and the right to claim expe

If you are wrongly accused of a crime, you have fundamental rights including the presumption of innocence, the right to silence, the right t

A community resolution is an informal out-of-court disposal for low-level crime. It does not result in a criminal record, but it is recorded

A dispersal order is a police power under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 that allows an inspector to authorise offic

Reasonable force means force that is proportionate to the threat faced. Officers may use reasonable force to make an arrest, prevent an esca

Section 136 allows police to remove a person from a public place to a place of safety if they appear to have a mental disorder and are in ne

Victims of crime have a defined set of rights under the Victims' Code 2024, including the right to information, the right to be heard, acces

You have the right to protest peacefully in England and Wales, but police have powers to impose conditions or disperse protests that cause s

Police can search your car if they have reasonable grounds for suspicion, or under specific powers that do not require individual suspicion.

Police do not have a general power to search your phone. They need either your consent, a specific power under statute, or a court order.

Police in uniform have a general power to stop any vehicle on a road. You must stop when required to do so by a uniformed officer.

Police can set up roadblocks under specific powers to stop vehicles for checks. You must stop but have rights to information about why you h

You have the right to be told why you are being searched, to receive a copy of the search record, and to be treated with respect throughout