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Thursday 12th of December 2024 at 20:51
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| BAIL | I am due to answer bail. Do I need to attend? | Even with the covid-19 crisis you do still need to answer bail. Th egovernment has made it clear that it wants the criminal justice system to operate as close to normal as possible. After all it is important that the public feel safe so law and order is a priority at this time. | You do need to asnwer your bail. But if you had legal advice when you were interviewed then you should call your solicitor. Your lawyer will contact the police in advance of your bail date to try and find out what is happening. Thats not as easy as it sounds but they will be able to advise you. Sometimes attending a bail date is not required. But if you are in doubt then you should attend or you face a separate offence of failing to answer your bail. | If you are suffereing from symptoms of the corona virus or you are in an at risk group or you are self-isolating for any reason then you have a difficult choice to make. The strict legal advice is of course that you should answer your bail. However traveling to the station could put you and others at risk. Whilst you have a legal duty to attend you also have a duty not to put yourself and others at risk. On balance you should probably not attend. But there is clearly a risk you will be arrested at a later date. | If you are struggling with this question please call your solicitor. If you do not have a solicitor then you can of course instruct one your self. Alternatively you can try calling 101 to discuss it with the police. | To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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| PROPERTY | The police have my property and I need to get it back. | If you had a solicitor at interview then call the firm that represented you. Firms do not get paid for recovering property but they many assist you. Otherwise you are on your own! | Recovering property from the police is a laborious and thankless task. It takes time. Any property the police have cannot be returned to you until it is no longer evidence. You may have to wait for the investigation or the court case to finish before they will return anything to you. | If you want to recover property the best thing to do is contact the police via the force website. It takes a while but you will get there in the end. You will need to be methodical and organised. | To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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| ARRESTED | The police have arrested someone I know. Whats going on? | If an adult (anyone over the age of 18) is arrested they are entitled to privacy. You can try calling the police on 101 but they are unlikely to tell you anything. Some people have been arrested before and have a firm of solicitors they use regularly. You can try calling the firm. They can only provide limited information. | Alternatively you can call 101 and the police may be able to help you. Again there is only a limited amount of information they can share. | People are arrested all the time. Day and night. Even with the covid-19 crisis the government has made it clear that it wants the criminal justice system to operate as close to normal as possible. After all it is important that the public feel safe so law and order is a priority at this time. | If you do not have a solicitor then you can call If you do not have a solicitor then you can of course instruct one your self. Alternatively you can try calling 101 to discuss it with the police. | To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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| CUSTODY | I want to call the custody suite. How do I do that? | The police do not accept calls from the public. You can try calling 101 but you are unlikely to get very far. When someone is arrested the details of the offence and even the fact of the arrest is not genereally publicised. | You can call 101 and the police may be able to help you. Again there is only a limited amount of information they can share. | People are arrested all the time. Day and night. Even with the covid-19 crisis the government has made it clear that it wants the criminal justice system to operate as close to normal as possible. After all it is important that the public feel safe so law and order is a priority at this time. | If you do not have a solicitor then you can of course instruct one your self. Alternatively you can try calling 101 to discuss it with the police. | To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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| REPORTING A CRIME | I want to talk to the police about a crime or suspicious activity. How do I do that? | If the issue is urgent call 999 immediately. | The non-emergency number for the police is 101 | Do please be sensible though. The police are busy so you should think whether it is a matter for the police.Perhaps there is another agency you could contact: - Social Distancing Reports: The police will follow up any reports that people are congregating. Call 101
- Abandoned Cars: Use your local councils website to report abandoned cars.
- Queries about Travel: If you have queries about whether your travel plans are essential or might result in a fine please refer to the government guidance or local news
- Retraction Statements: Get independent legal advice from a local firm of solicitors. You can find a firm on the Law Society website
| To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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| REPORTING BREACH OF CORONA VIRUS MEASURES | I want tell the police about people gathering in groups or another breach of the emergency measures. How do I do that? | If the issue is urgent call 999 immediately. | If you're concerned about a business or venue that's open and you don't think it should be, please check the guidance on this first. | We're seeking to resolve situations where people appear to be or are contravening the government advice on physical social distancing and the stay at home measures without resorting to enforcement and issuing fines. | Please only tell us about something if you feel there is a significant issue or breach which you think we need to know about. | You can report breaches here on police.uk | To contact the police via the web please refer to this list of police force websites | |
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