No offence Thermo, but Police Officers have a very basic and limited understanding of the law and in many cases different officers will interpret things differently. An officer can not be relied upon to know specifics or all aspects of every part of the law which he polices
That is why people are arrested "on suspicion" of an offence.
The beat bobby or traffic cop will have a limited knowledge of some common situations pertinent to their beat or role, or prevalent in the area they police.
But it is not their job to know all of the law or interpret it, or choose which area of law to prosecute under. The role of the police is to investigate possible offences and apprehend offenders, and not to enforce the law.
There are many, many people who know more about law who don't actually work in the Police.
That is why people are arrested "on suspicion" of an offence.
The beat bobby or traffic cop will have a limited knowledge of some common situations pertinent to their beat or role, or prevalent in the area they police.
But it is not their job to know all of the law or interpret it, or choose which area of law to prosecute under. The role of the police is to investigate possible offences and apprehend offenders, and not to enforce the law.
There are many, many people who know more about law who don't actually work in the Police.
No offence Woody but I don't think I have ever read such a crock of rubbish outside of a defence statement submitted by an offender.
You clearly know little about the Police and their role.
The Police are there to enforce the law, whether by taking action or purely issuing advice.
They have to know the law to be able to enforce it otherwise the Police authorities would be bankrupt paying out compensation for wrongfull actions.
Police officers regularly arrest for an offence, and only on suspicion when there is no primae facia evidence. If I saw a man stab someone then he was arrested for wounding, not "Suspicion" of wounding.
I regularly attended court to find that Barristers needed prodding on finer points of an offence.
[/quote]
You clearly know little about the Police and their role.
The Police are there to enforce the law, whether by taking action or purely issuing advice.
They have to know the law to be able to enforce it otherwise the Police authorities would be bankrupt paying out compensation for wrongfull actions.
Police officers regularly arrest for an offence, and only on suspicion when there is no primae facia evidence. If I saw a man stab someone then he was arrested for wounding, not "Suspicion" of wounding.
I regularly attended court to find that Barristers needed prodding on finer points of an offence.
[/quote]
If you are involved in the legal process you will know that context is everything.
If a guy clearly stabs another person then yes of course he won't be arrested on suspicion. But its not the job of the Police to determine what law has been broken, and the eventual charge may not be the one arrested for.
In the context of this thread, there are several potential breaches of Statute and Common Law for the highway obstruction, but I doubt very much if an officer is going to be aware of all of these. And if the charge progressed, then its not the Police who decide what law has been broken
You will also be aware of the need not to be biased towards your own profession in its defence.
And the Police do not enforce the law. They should uphold the law - and these are two completely distinct concepts.
If a guy clearly stabs another person then yes of course he won't be arrested on suspicion. But its not the job of the Police to determine what law has been broken, and the eventual charge may not be the one arrested for.
In the context of this thread, there are several potential breaches of Statute and Common Law for the highway obstruction, but I doubt very much if an officer is going to be aware of all of these. And if the charge progressed, then its not the Police who decide what law has been broken
You will also be aware of the need not to be biased towards your own profession in its defence.
And the Police do not enforce the law. They should uphold the law - and these are two completely distinct concepts.
no offence taken woody, but that shows a real limited understanding of the knowledge of police officers, their work and the law.
Similar threads
- Deleted member 18243
- General Discussion