What to do if I am arrested or interviewed by the police

What do I do if I am, or someone I know is, arrested or invited for an interview with the police? Don't panic - let Laura Leech explain:

Everyone, regardless of status or means, is entitled to free and independent legal advice when being interviewed under caution by the police.   Our service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

An interview with the police can be conducted either under arrest or at the station as a volunteer. Either way, our advice to everyone being interviewed is to be legally represented. 

Arrest

If you are arrested, upon your arrival at the police station you will be asked if you require the assistance of a solicitor.  At that point you ask for Fieldings Porter.  The police then contact a call centre who hold the contact details for all registered legal advisors and they in turn contact Fieldings Porter.  Fieldings Porter will then contact you and speak with you via the telephone so that you know that your request has been acknowledged and some initial advice is provided.

Once the police have collated their evidence, they will want to interview you to obtain evidence by questioning.  At that point we attend at the police station.  We attend upon the officer in charge of the investigation in private and obtain as much detail as possible from them about the allegation(s) against you.  Following which, we then meet with you in private.  We advise you regarding the law, provide the disclosure given from the officer and advise you regarding your best option during the interview. 

There is no restriction on the amount of time that we will have to spend with you.

After we have completed our consultation, we continue to represent you throughout the police interview(s).  Our role during the interview is to ensure that the interview is conducted fairly and in accordance with the law, protecting and advancing your legal rights.  These include saying nothing about the allegation(s), providing a statement we draft on your behalf and/or answering questions.

Following the interview a decision will be made to charge you, release you with no further action being taken, bail you to return to the police station or release you under investigation so that the police can continue with their enquiries. 

Family member or friend being arrested

If you become aware that a family member of friend has been arrested, you can contact us and we can make a third party referral to the police station on your behalf to check whether the detained person would like representation from the Fieldings Porter team. 

If you are asked to attend the station to act as an appropriate adult for a child/vulnerable person, you are able to appoint a solicitor of your choice to represent them at the police station irrespective of their decision. 

Voluntary interview

If the police contact you and invite you to attend for a police interview, we advise you to contact us immediately following that contact.  We can then ensure that a member of our team is available to attend at the police station with you at your appointment. 

As stated, we can be called 24 hours a day, on 07786 655345.