01274 271 505

  01274 271 505

POLICE STATION ADVICE
& ASSISTANCE

Advice

If you are ever arrested or asked to go to the Police Station voluntarily, you are entitled to free independent legal advice no matter what your financial circumstances are.

At Lustitia Law we have a dedicated team of Solicitors and Accredited Police Station Representatives who are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, to come to your assistance and provide you with this essential free advice and assistance. All our team have considerable experience of dealing with a wide range of offences, from the relatively minor to the most serious.

Whatever may have happened to you, the experience of being questioned by the Police is extremely daunting, stressful and complex. That is why the law states that you must be told of your right to have free advice and assistance when you are questioned by the Police.

If you are ever arrested all you need do is simply tell the Police you wish for Lustitia Law to assist you. The Police will then call us and we will arrange to attend and advise you.

If you are asked to attend the Police Station as a volunteer, you are still entitled to free legal advice. Just call us beforehand to arrange for a representative from our firm to attend the Police Station with you, or if out of office hours, please call our out of hours dedicated Police Station telephone numbers which can be found on our contact page.

You have rights whilst at the Police Station and this is perhaps the most important of them all. Remember it is free.

The decision that you make whether to answer questions in your Police Interview or not is often the most important stage in any criminal investigation. It is vital that you obtain legal advice. Do not be alone at such an anxious and worrying time, let Lustitia Law help you.

reasons why you should always have a solicitor for a police interview

  It’s Free

Regardless of your income, means or assets, and regardless of the nature of the allegation (however serious or minor) everyone is entitled to free and independent legal advice at the police station. If you ask for a solicitor to attend to assist you in a police interview, the police cannot refuse.

  You will get to know more details about the allegation before being questioned

An unrepresented suspect at the police station will often not be told a great deal about the specific details of the offence being investigated before interview. This can be problematical for the suspect. It gives them little time and information upon which to prepare for interview. For example, if an allegation is said to have occurred some time ago, the suspect is not told about dates of the allegation until the interview itself. This can lead to them coming across as being vague or perhaps deliberately misleading quite unintentionally. Another example is when a suspect has a valid defence but does not know how to express it. Once something is said in interview it can be very difficult to repair any damage that has inadvertently been created.

Disclosure of details about the allegation before interview is one of the most important stages of the interview process. A solicitor can probe the police before any questioning commences. They can try to ascertain precisely what evidence, if any, the police have. The police can sometimes be rather evasive on pre-interview disclosure, especially if a person is unrepresented. This can have serious adverse consequences later in the process. Having a solicitor ‘test’ the strength of the case beforehand can really make the difference between a decision to charge and a decision to take no further action.

  Having Solicitor Protects Your Rights

The reality is that the police far prefer interviewing suspects who do not have solicitors present. They can ask whatever questions they like. They know that the vast majority of suspects will not appreciate the difference between a proper and improper question, and will not pick up on any procedural irregularities.

Police often suggest to a suspect pre-interview, that having a solicitor may delay their release. They may also imply that the suspect does not really need a solicitor as the matter is not serious. Any such statements are both somewhat improper and inaccurate, and are designed to prevent a suspect having representation.

  Assistance in a police interview is essential

In a police interview the police have a statutory function of properly ‘investigating’ an allegation. However, sometimes cases are not approached with an open mind, just because a complaint has been made. It is often the case that interviewing officers need reminding during an interview as to whether certain questions are appropriate. A solicitor is trained to deal with this, and to protect your rights at this stage is never more important. What is said during an interview may have very significant implications should a matter ultimately proceed to trial.

  Protection Beyond Charge

Having a solicitor can provide protection to a suspect who is charged and where there is a dispute later on at court as to events which occurred during the police interview. The solicitor can give evidence at Court and reject any suggestion made by the police that something occurred in the police station when it clearly did not. A solicitor can also make representations for bail at the point of charge. This is far more likely to succeed than if a suspect is unrepresented.

  Expert Advice

Most suspects will not have the knowledge of police practice, court procedure, rules of evidence and criminal charges that a competent solicitor will possess. Being interviewed at a police station can be a daunting and very intimidating situation. Having the protection of a competent solicitor representing your interests at such time will assist greatly in alleviating this. It will also ensure the best possible outcome.

What about other types of interviews?

There are lots of other agencies who also interview suspects under caution and again legal advice is crucial before answering any questions.

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS (DWP)

If you are to be interviewed under caution by the DWP you can receive legal aid if you are in receipt of a pass ported benefit.
Please contact our Police Station department on 01274 271505.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION & SKILLS (BIS)

If you are to be interviewed under caution by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) ordinarily you cannot receive legal aid. However please contact our specialist fraud team who can advise you of your options.

Many other agencies also conduct interviews with individuals under caution

TRADING STANDARDS

VEHICLE AND OPERATOR SERVICES AGENCY (VOSA)

INLAND REVENUE FRAUD INVESTIGATORS

LOCAL COUNCIL COUNTER FRAUD TEAMS

DRIVER AND VEHICLE STANDARD AGENCY (DVSA)

Anybody interviewed under caution by any of those agencies are also entitled to legal advice and to stop or postpone an interview to obtain legal advice. Legal Aid may be available for interviews conducted by those agencies; it will depend on the circumstances. Legal advice is essential please remember that the purpose of an interview is to obtain evidence against you, so please contact us before answering questions.