3 ms·

> police have a job to do and that is to make a case against you ...in the US. If you're in England and you didn't do it then it's normally a good idea to cl

by DanBC 7y ago

> police have a job to do and that is to make a case against you ...in the US. If you're in England and you didn't do it then it's normally a good idea to clear things up. You can have a solicitor with you. Of course, if you've been arrested then you should make use of the solicitor and follow their advice - which will usually be "explain what happened and where you were at the time", unless you did in fact do it where their advice might be "explain in these terms what happened", or "just say 'no comment' to every question".

hannasanarion 7y ago
Police in the UK have the same goals as police in the US, it's just that American police are often more aggressive about it. American lawyers will often give that same advice, tell your story to clear things up so that you can go home. It's still generally smarter to wait until you have the advice from the lawyer before you start yapping though.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  They do retain their principles of policing by consent. They are a citizen in uniform rather than a force in opposition to the citizens. It does generally change the attitude in nearly all dealings. UK police can't lie to suspects in interview or bring out some false evidence to encourage you to confess, and interviews have to be fully recorded. Yes, of course there have been some that break the rules.
hdfbdtbcdg 7y ago
Not great advice. I personally would ask for a solicitor. He or she will advise appropriately.
hackermailman 7y ago
The lawyer will stop you from going over the top with your defense though, clarifying all statements such as changing the panicked reaction to a serious accusation:"I've never even been to that city!" with "I haven't been to that city recently" which is a huge difference should the police later discover a tiny piece of evidence like a social media posting or receipt showing you did indeed go to that city once upon a time 10+ years ago. If you don't clarify then they can say you are a liar and made a provably false statement to the police during court.
jdietrich 7y ago
Any criminal solicitor worth their salt will help you to prepare a written statement giving your account of events, read it out on your behalf and strongly advise you to say nothing. The police are still human beings with human biases. If the interviewing officer has a gut instinct that you're guilty, they're highly liable to ask leading questions and try to put words in your mouth, even if they genuinely believe that they're being fair. Any inconsistencies in your account will be taken as indications of guilt and will be used against you if it goes to trial. "Just tell us what happened so we can clear things up" often means "I know you did it, so just hurry up and confess to everything". Malice is not a prerequisite for a miscarriage of justice; the English system offers far better protection for criminal suspects, but it's by no means infallible.

by DanBC 7y ago

hannasanarion 7y ago

Police in the UK have the same goals as police in the US, it's just that American police are often more aggressive about it. American lawyers will often give that same advice, tell your story to clear things up so that you can go home. It's still generally smarter to wait until you have the advice from the lawyer before you start yapping though.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
They do retain their principles of policing by consent. They are a citizen in uniform rather than a force in opposition to the citizens. It does generally change the attitude in nearly all dealings. UK police can't lie to suspects in interview or bring out some false evidence to encourage you to confess, and interviews have to be fully recorded. Yes, of course there have been some that break the rules.

hdfbdtbcdg 7y ago

Not great advice. I personally would ask for a solicitor. He or she will advise appropriately.

hackermailman 7y ago

The lawyer will stop you from going over the top with your defense though, clarifying all statements such as changing the panicked reaction to a serious accusation:"I've never even been to that city!" with "I haven't been to that city recently" which is a huge difference should the police later discover a tiny piece of evidence like a social media posting or receipt showing you did indeed go to that city once upon a time 10+ years ago. If you don't clarify then they can say you are a liar and made a provably false statement to the police during court.

jdietrich 7y ago

Any criminal solicitor worth their salt will help you to prepare a written statement giving your account of events, read it out on your behalf and strongly advise you to say nothing. The police are still human beings with human biases. If the interviewing officer has a gut instinct that you're guilty, they're highly liable to ask leading questions and try to put words in your mouth, even if they genuinely believe that they're being fair. Any inconsistencies in your account will be taken as indications of guilt and will be used against you if it goes to trial. "Just tell us what happened so we can clear things up" often means "I know you did it, so just hurry up and confess to everything". Malice is not a prerequisite for a miscarriage of justice; the English system offers far better protection for criminal suspects, but it's by no means infallible.