Definitions

• Constable

  Is a citizen locally appointed, whose authority is derived from the Crown. Their prime functions are

   

  • The protection of life and property 
  • The maintenance of order 
  • The prevention and detection of crime 
  • The prosecution of offenders against the peace 

   
• caution - when questioned

  • You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence 
• Definition of Criminal Investigations - CPIA 1996 Code of Practice 

  • An investigation conducted by police officers with a view to it being ascertained whether a person should be charged with an offence,  or whether a person charged with an offence is guilty of it 

   
• Theft - s.1 Theft Act 1968 

  • A person is guilty of theft is he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention to permanently depriving the other of it 
• Burglary - S.9(1a) S.9(1b) Theft Act 1968 

  A person is guilty of burglary if he:

   

   

  Enters a building or part of a building as a trespasser with intent to:

  • Steal anything in the building or part of building 
  • Inflict GBH on any person therein 
  • Do unlawful damage to the building or anything therein 

   

  OR 

   

  • Having entered any building or part of building as a trespasser, steals or attempts to steal anything therein or, inflicts or attempts to inflict GBH on any person therein 

   

   

   

   
• Necessity for arrest without warrant: Constables - s.24(5) PACE 1984 


  (1) it is believed the arrest is necessary

  (a) to enable the name of the person in question to be ascertained (in the case where the constable does not know, and cannot readily ascertain, 'the person's name or has reasonable grounds for doubting whether a name given by a person as his name is his real name)

  (b) correspondingly as regards the person's address
• Handling Stolen Goods - s.22 theft act 1968

  A person handles stolen goods if (otherwise than in the course of stealing) knowing and believing them to be stolen goods he dishonestly recieevd the goods or dishonestly undertakes or assists in their retention, removal, disposal or realisation by or for the benefit of another person, or if he arranges to do so 
• Entry for the Purpose of Arrest - s.17 pace 1984

  A constable may enter and search a premises with a purpose to:

   

  W – executing a warrant 

  A – arrst for indictable offence 

  S – specified offence 

  P – pursuit of a person unlawfully at large from detention 

   

  If there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is in the premises 

   

   

  S – save life and limb and protect property from serious damage, if there is reasonable ground to suspect it is necessary