British Law Question

[whitey420]

Hey, I'm from the United Kingdom and would like to know if the Police have the rights to stop Me and my Friends for NO reson and search us? This has happend to us a few times and is intimidating.

My Friend was caught last night with a small amount of cannabis, due to a NO RESON search??
Dont we have rights?

Its like "Hey teenagers lets go search them!" wtf?!

Legal advice needed please, Thanks.

[Jack D]

Whitey,

You need to speak to that individual officer. Its difficult to give comment on your question when you haven`t described the circs of the scenario. There are a few differant Acts of law inwhich an officer has powers to stop/ search you. I won`t quote law but in general terms, under PACE, a police officer can stop and search you, if he has suspicion you are upto no good. You don`t say what time you were out. You may have been in an area with a high burglary/ robbery rate. There may have been a crime nearby and two teenagers seen to run off. It may not have been you but what did you expect the officer to do? You may have been acting in a way that the officer believed he had grounds to search you. Had your friend been smoking the stuff before you were stopped? If so, police can often tell by his eyes, his manner etc and then search him under the misuse of drugs act.
If you really want answers to why YOU were stop/ searched by THAT officer on THAT particular occasion, then you need to speak to THAT officer.
People try to give officers a hard time by asking why we aren`t out catching burglars, robbers and rapists. Every time we stop someone they always insist they have done nothing wrong, thay they have rights and we should be out catching `real` criminals. Pro active policing means we go out and stop/search people before they can commit crime. Society can`t have it both ways.


Speak to the individual officer

Jack

[Scruit]

For the American cops here...

PACE = Police And Criminal Evidence act - the laws governing how police handle suspects and collect evidence.

CPS = Criminal Protection Service... Err... Sorry, I meant Crown Prosecution Service (Kinda like a Nationwide DA)


Whitey420,

There are so many reasons that you could have been stopped. I was once stopped while walking home from the pub and was questioned for about 10 minutes. This was after midnight. The officers left after explaining that they had had a burglary in the area. Whether or not that was true I'll never know, but I perosnally don't mind the cops asking me questions etc as long as I feel like I'm being treated with respect and I'm not busy etc.

They found cannabis on your friend? What are the chances that there was something about his demeanour, attire, location, company or combination of those factors that would lead a trained officer to believe he may have cannabis on him? There are things that a trained and expereinced police officer can learn or understand (or assume) from a person for a variety of nonverbal information sources. Just because he didn't explain them to you doesn't mean he didn't have good cause to stop you.

I recommend you go to your local library and read up on PACE (Jack - what is the year of the current PACE act? Don't want to be reading an old one). If you understand the rules that govern how the polcie may contact/detain/search you then you will either understand the officer's actions, or you will have good cause to present a defence to the magistrate. Consult a legal aid solicitor (or whatever they call them now).

[Norm357]

Your upset about being stopped yet you admit your friend had dope on him?:rolleyes:

[Scruit]

I have to admit that I hate the idea that you can absolutely prove that someone committed a crime, yet because you didn't dot every i and cross every t suddenly the guy goes free.

The only thing worse that that is having the defendant looking for all the i's and t's. If you got caught then be man enought o take your punishment. Weaseling out of justified punishment because of some loophole just makes you less of a man in my eyes.

Just my opinion.

[KrisSAU]

I don't know about British laws, but regardless I say GOOD ON THE OFFICERS! Marijuana laws are in place for a reason. But I will spare the drawn out explanations of why because I have seen those threads get ugly and full of drama.

I think those Bobby's did a grand job

[whitey420]

Thanks all for your interesting information :-)

KrisSAU, I hope you get arrseted and stuck in jail the next time your smoking a cigarette or drinking some beer, which is alot worse than abit of cannabis for **** sakes!
I offically hate you for life.

[txinvestigator1]

Whitey

If you don't like your laws, lobby your lawmakers to change them.

If cannabis is illegal where you live I would think you would not possess it.

Possessing it makes you a criminal. You don't want to be a criminal do you (notice the condescending tone)? You want to be a good citizen, right? So stay away from the pot.

Your comments toward Kris are sure to make people wish to help you. :rolleyes:

If you can stay sober long enough, use the search function and read some of the other threads about dope. You will see a common theme. Now, go eat some twinkies.

[Jack D]

The chances of Kris going to jail for smoking a cigarette or drinking some beer..............................zero

The chances of you going to jail for "abit of cannabis"......................................... ...............................loads.

In the UK, possession of cannabis is illegal. Even when they down grade it next year from a class B drug to a class C, it will still be illegal.
Why don`t you just take it on the chin like a man, you (or your friend) were caught with it - period?

If you can`t do the time, don`t commit the crime.

[whitey420]

"If you can`t do the time, don`t commit the crime." Its only a crime in the eye of the law, I will never quit smoking cannabis, and will never go to jail for smoking it for personal use, trust me.

real crime is needed to be prevented...
any police officers who use mIRC in here should go and check these chat servers I was just invited into irc.madunix.net & irc.weedchat.net , THESE PEOPLE ARE MAKING ME SICK!!

[Oldbillplod]

KrisSAU, I hope you get arrseted and stuck in jail the next time your smoking a cigarette or drinking some beer, which is alot worse than abit of cannabis for **** sakes!
I offically hate you for life. [/B][/QUOTE]


May I ask your age please as your response is not disimilar to something my nine year old child would say.

[Orleander]

Originally posted by Oldbillplod
KrisSAU, I hope you get arrseted and stuck in jail the next time your smoking a cigarette or drinking some beer, which is alot worse than abit of cannabis for **** sakes!
I offically hate you for life.

May I ask your age please as your response is not disimilar to something my nine year old child would say. [/B][/QUOTE]

LOL, or my 5 yr old. whitey, I hope you remembered to slam the door for better effect.

[whitey420]

LOL! Your nine year old son smokes the bong already? haha
fair play

oh and I'm 19

[whitey420]

"I hope you remembered to slam the door for better effect." hahahaha, that cracked me up !

[Zendik]

Look here whitey420 you are giving pot a bad rap by saying things like you hate Krissau for life but then again you are only 19. You guys got busted and I'm sure the penalty will not be so harsh that your friend spends 8 years behind bars. You mat want to show that you can have an intelligent conversation and still use pot before Proving to LE that pot smokers have a brain disorder.