About us 

The process

The officer who stops you must:

• Treat you with dignity and respect.
• Give you the reason why you’ve been stopped.
• Give you their identity card, including name, police number and station, only if the officer is not in uniform (in the cases of terrorism, they need not give you their identity).
• Give you a copy of the form.

The officer must take all reasonable steps to make sure that you understand:

• That you are detained for the purpose of a search.
• The grounds for search (for example, you have been witnessed to steal an item from a store).
• What they are looking for.
• What law they are using.

The officer will ask you for:

• Your name, address and date of birth.

The officer must make a record of the search

The search is not voluntary. If you resist, police can use reasonable force to conduct the search if necessary.

The officer will want to search:

• Any bags that you may be carrying.
• Your pockets.
• Anything found in your bags or pockets.
• Anywhere you could possibly conceal what they are looking for.

If you’re in a public place:

• You will usually only have to remove exterior garments, such as your coat and gloves.
• If the officer asks you to remove more than your coat, or if you are wearing clothing for religious reasons (such as a face scarf, turban, or veil), they will take you somewhere private, out of public view. It does not mean that you are being arrested. If this happens, the officer involved must be the same gender as you.