UK POLICE POWERS

UK Police Powers



UK Police Powers

Introduction

In towns and other urban areas the police can rely on the support of traffic wardens and electronic devices such as traffic lights and cameras to ensure that motorists comply with traffic regulations. In order to enforce the traffic laws, the police have been given a number of powers to question road users in specific circumstances.

General police powers

Even when a car is empty and parked on a 'highway' or a 'public place', its registered keeper (who is usually also the owner) is immediately subject to a number of legal obligations. The obligations relate not only to the construction of the vehicle but also its use. In English and Northern Irish law, various statutes impose these obligations and failure to comply is a motoring offence. These offences are often the first contact anybody has with the criminal justice system.

The police have a number of powers that allow them to ensure that owners of vehicles comply with their legal obligations. A police officer may remove any vehicle which has been left on a road in breach of a traffic regulation, or which causes an obstruction. In addition, if it appears that a vehicle has been abandoned on a road or on any land in the open, the police may also remove the vehicle. Often, however, the police investigate abandoned vehicles and report to the local authority which will then remove the vehicle under separate powers.

If a driver of a motor vehicle is suspected of having committed an offence and the police have not stopped the car (as would be the case when the car is caught on a traffic camera), the police may ask the keeper of the vehicle to give information as to the identity of the driver. Any other person, including the actual driver may be asked to give this information. It is an offence not to do so when in fact this information is known.

UK police statistics

Here are some statistical results relating to UK police performance statistics like the ethnicity of study group (16 + 1) ethnicity classification system.

Numbers

%

White (W)

W1

British

51

30.4

W2

Irish

6

3.6

W9

Any other White background

21

12.5

Mixed (M)

0

M1

White and Black Caribbean

5

3

M2

White and Black African

2

1.2

M3

White and Asian

1

0.6

M9

Any other mixed background

3

1.8

Asian or Asian British (A)

0

A1

Indian

2

1.2

A2

Pakistani

0

0

A3

Bangladeshi

14

8.3

A9

Any other Asian background

6

3.6

Black or Black British (B)

0

B1

Caribbean

30

17.9

B2

African

13

7.7

B9

Any other Black background

2

1.2

Chinese or other ethnic group (O)

0

O1

Chinese

0

0

O9

Any other ethnic group

4

2.4

Twenty-three topics (13.7%) were of no repaired abode and 112 (66.6%) were unemployed. 118 (70.2%) were listed with a general practitioner (GP), and out of those 106/118 (89.8%) were adept to supply the GP details. Forty-two (25%) of detainees with other healthcare groups, encompassing mental wellbeing, pharmaceutical and alcohol referral groups, an ulcer team; and an HIV/AIDs team.( Homant, 2002 45)

Sixty-seven topics (39.9%) had preceding important health situation, 62 (36.9%) had preceding important surgical situation and 41 (24.4%) had preceding important mental wellbeing or psychiatric situation all of which were not inevitably applicable at the time of the study. Of those with preceding mental wellbeing or psychiatric situation, 12 (7.4%) had been accepted under one of the parts ...