You have rights when dealing with the police, and there are laws that say how police can use their powers. It is a good idea to find out why the police want to talk to you before you answer their questions and to always stay polite and respectful, even if you think you are being treated unfairly.
If you want to find out more about the laws around police arrests, check out our webpage here.
The police can approach and talk to you at any time. If you come into contact with the police, it’s a good idea to make sure you stay calm and respectful. We know dealing with police can be intimidating or scary, especially if you have had a bad experience in the past. But being aggressive or violent with police will probably make things worse, even if you have done nothing wrong. You can get into trouble just for behaving badly with police (for example by swearing or trying to escape an arrest).
If you feel like the police are treating you unfairly, it’s usually best to go along with it, and then get legal help. It is a good idea to take notes of what’s happened on your phone as soon as you can, and if you feel unsafe, ask police if you can contact an adult you trust.
In some situations, you must give personal details (like your name, date of birth, address and identification) when asked to by police. For example, if:
In general, if you are unsure, it is a good idea to give the police your name and address and show them your ID when asked. It’s against the law to refuse to give your personal details and show your ID when legally required (without a good excuse), or to give police a fake name or address.
If you think the police don’t have a good reason to ask for your details, you can politely ask police why they need them. You can also ask for their name, rank, and place of duty. The police, by law, have to tell you this information. It’s a good idea to write this down so you don’t forget.
It is important to remember that you have a right to silence when talking to the police. This means that apart from giving your personal details in some situations, in general you do not have to answer their questions, even if you have been arrested and taken to a police station.
If police ask you to go to an interview, we recommend you speak to a lawyer before you decide how you will respond. You generally can’t be forced to go to a police interview unless you are under arrest or detained for questioning, and police should make this clear. If the police ask you to go to the station with them, it’s a good idea to ask if you’re under arrest. If you aren’t, you don’t have to go.
It’s really important to remember that anything you say to police in an interview could be used in evidence against you.
If you’re under 18 and are suspected of committing a serious crime, the police have to let you have a support person (like a parent or carer) or a lawyer present during the interview before they start interviewing you.
Sometimes the police can ask you to leave a place. This is called being told to ‘move on’. You can be told to move on from a place by the police if they have a reason to think:
It is an offence not to follow a direction to move on given by police.
Police do not have an automatic right to search you and your property.
In most cases, police need a warrant (which is a written order from a judge) before they can enter an area and search you, your car or your house. However, the police can search you without a warrant in some situations, for example where a police officer thinks:
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to consent to a search. If you don’t consent, police will need another legal reason to search you. There are also special laws that apply to people who are being searched while they are in police custody (under arrest). You can find out more here.
If you’re under 18, most of the time a police officer can’t search you, your property or your clothes unless a support person is with you. This support person can be a parent, carer, lawyer or someone else that you choose.
But, the police can search you without a support person present where:
If they do this, the police have to make sure to give you appropriate respect and not cause you unnecessary embarrassment. Someone of the same sex should do the search and it must be done in a private place.
Before they search you, the police also have to tell you that you’re allowed to get legal advice and representation.
Not cooperating with police (for example by trying to stop them doing a search) can be an offence. For this reason, it’s a good idea to cooperate during a search, although it’s a good idea to still ask questions such as “can you tell me why you’re searching me?”, and politely but clearly tell police if you don’t agree to the search. The police officer must tell you why they want to search you.
A police officer can take and keep anything that belongs to you if they think:
If the police find you drinking in a place where you’re not allowed to, they can take your alcohol too.
If the police take something of yours that you think is legal for you to have, you can ask the police for it back. If the police do not return it to you, you probably will need to go to court to ask for it back.
If you are under 25 and you have questions about your rights with police, you can contact us for free and confidential legal advice here.
You can also check out these resources on the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission website.
If you have a problem or a question, you can send it to us today and we can provide you with free advice, information and referrals to help solve your problem. Just click on the button below.
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