Solicitor assistance at a police station, the Police have a duty to inform any person who is to be interviewed under caution that they have the right to free and independent legal advice, in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The person can then opt to be advised and/or represented by a duty solicitor or a solicitor of their choice.
There are many benefits of having a solicitor present to advise and represent you at the Police Station:
The role of a solicitor is vitally important at this most critical stage of any case. When questioned, a suspect’s responses are going to be recorded. Once something is said it cannot be taken back. When under pressure, distress or fear most people can say things that are not accurate or capable of misinterpretation.
The first job of the solicitor is to explain to their client the role they will perform. They cannot answer the questions for the suspect. However, they can assist their client by preparing for the interview thoroughly. Before the interview commences they will obtain information from the investigators as to why they suspect their client has committed an offence. By obtaining this information they are able to then advise on the legal issues and take full instructions in private before the formal recorded interview takes place. This in itself can help settle a suspect’s nerves and allow them to gather their thoughts.
It is not just the Police interview that a solicitor can assist with; they can assist you with ID procedures and biometric samples. A solicitor can also make representations to the Police about bail and any bail conditions due to being imposed.
Solicitor assistance at a police station works to make representations to the investigators after the interview process relating to further enquiries that ought to be conducted that could help their client. This may relate to securing some evidence before it is lost such as CCTV footage. If the police choose to ignore such a specific representation and a case ends up before a court, the courts tend to be less forgiving when that evidence is no longer available but was identified as being relevant and should have been retained.
Contact our specialist team today for further guidance on police station representation.