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A busy week at Chesterfield for Police Station Advice

This week from January 2018 provides a perfect illustration of the work undertaken by accredited police station representative Rob Lowe out of our busy Chesterfield office as he travels to provide expert police station advice.

Sunday

The week started with a visit to Chesterfield Police Station just after chesterfield police station advicemidnight on Sunday.  The the police decided this would be the ideal time to interview to a client who had asked for the duty solicitor.

Luckily, Rob was offered plenty of strong coffee which was very welcome, because he was there until after two in the morning.  He managed to get a few hours sleep before I was required back for 10 a.m. on the Sunday morning to provide a further three clients with police station advice in Chesterfield.  Again, these had asked for the duty solicitor.

Unfortunately, he was back home in time to see Arsenal lose!

Monday

Monday started with a further visit to Chesterfield police station to represent a client who was answering  police bail.   Although this was a second visit to provide free legal advice and representation to our client, there is no additional fee payable to us under the legal aid scheme.

Immediately after this, Rob represented a client who had been asked to attend the police station for a voluntary interview.  He had the good sense to have notified us the previous week that he would be liverpool police station adviceattending the police station and would wish free representation under the legal aid scheme.

After dealing with that case, Rob got into his car and drove all the way up to Liverpool.  He met his client at the city centre police station at 6pm.  Again, he was attending voluntarily and had earlier informed Rob that the police wanted to interview him.

After that interview was completed, and the client had gone home, Rob wandered into the city centre for a bite to eat before travelling home through weather that was variously rain hail and then snow.  He managed to be tucked up in bed by 11 p.m.

Tuesday

Tuesday began with a trip to Mexborough police station.   This was to provide free and independent legal advice to a client who had mexborough police station adviceattended for a voluntary interview.  Rob attended by prior arrangement, the client having contacted us in advance.

Rob was back in Chesterfield by lunchtime to represent another client at the Chesterfield police station.   Again, this client had attended for a voluntary interview.

After concluding advice in that case , Rob went down into the custody suite  to look after a client who had been to Court in the morning and had been represented by a colleague.  He was unfortunately arrested for further offences when he left Court, and he asked for VHS Fletchers at the police station to provide advice and representation.

Wednesday

It was the firms turn to be duty solicitor again on Wednesday.  Rob started the day by representing a client who had asked for the duty solicitor at Chesterfield Police Station.

A colleague then told Rob that a further client, who had been referred to us by a friend of his, was coming to the police station at 12 noon for a voluntary interview.  He was met by Rob at that time and advice was provided accordingly.

Ilkeston police station adviceAnother case was in the cells also ready for interview at 12 noon, so a colleague was drafted in to provide advice in that case so that there was no delay to the interview for that client.

Once the voluntary interview was finished, Rob made his way over to Ilkeston police station to act as an agent for a firm of solicitors in London.  They had a client who was attending for a voluntary interview but were unable to make the journey up to Derbyshire.  Rob was was back home for 7:30p.m. for another late tea.

Thursday

Thursday started early due to the need to provide advice at Sheffield City Council offices.  Rob represented a client who was being interviewed under caution for an allegation relating to improper use of a blue badge.

Rob then made his way back to Chesterfield Police Station to look after a client in custody who had been arrested and asked for representation from VHS Fletchers.

Rob made it home on time for a change, although this period of calm did not last long.  He chose to assist a colleague who was on call by providing advice and assistance to a client who was being interviewed at Chesterfield police station.

Friday

Rob was not required at the police station on Friday.  This provided a welcome opportunity to ensure that all of his paperwork was up to date from the week’s police station attendances.

Saturday

On the Saturday, Rob rested.  Within the last seven days, Rob had provided free and independent legal advice to sixteen different clients.

In January alone Rob has attended ten different police stations in January –  as well as Chesterfield, Rob has visited

  • Grantham
  • Clay Cross
  • Ripley
  • Hucknall
  • Mansfield
  • Eastwood
  • Liverpool
  • Mexborough
  • Ilkeston

and one council office.  The list will no doubt be even longer by the end of the month.

Contact us for free and independent police station advice

As we hold a legal aid contract we are able to provide our clients with free and independent legal advice when they are interviewed free and independent police station adviceby the police.  This remains the case whether a suspect is a volunteer or under arrest, whether the interview is in a police station or at another place such as their home.

Police interviews are important.  What a suspect says or doesn’t say can help in the decision as to whether court proceedings should follow an interview.  As a result it is important that a suspect seek police station advice before answering questions.  Other reasons to seek legal advice can be found here.  We can help you decide if, and how, you should answer police questions.

Rob can be contacted at our Chesterfield office.  Details of all of our offices can be found here.  All of our telephone numbers are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that you receive our expert police station advice when you require it.

Alternatively you can use the contact form below.

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A Voluntary Interview with the police under caution – have free legal advice

Why are there more voluntary interviews by the police?

voluntary interview
A suspect not having the benefit of a voluntary interview

Over a number of years changes were made to the way police conducted interviews with suspects.  Proper safeguards were brought in to ensure that investigations were conducted fairly, particularly in regard to the recording of the questioning of suspects including their access to free and independent solicitors.  This was a direct reaction to ‘confession’ evidence being obtained in far from satisfactory circumstances leading to miscarriages of justice.

Legal safeguards too expensive?

Unfortunately, all of those safeguards cost money.  As a result, although there remains the right to speak to a solicitor and receive advice during interview, in many cases the police now create an atmosphere where if a suspect insists on their right to legal representation they are made to feel that the case will be treated more seriously, or that they will have to be arrested and taken into police custody, or that access to a solicitor will cause significant and inconvenient delays.

As a result, although the police will always offer a solicitor prior to a voluntary interview, the general tone is of the suspect not doing themselves any favours by requesting one.

If I’ve not been arrested are the police treating the allegation seriously?

There might be the expectation that the police ought to arrest those suspected of a criminal offence and take them to the police station to be interviewed.  This will have the natural effect of concentrating a suspect’s mind on the gravity of his situation and will lead to serious consideration as to having a lawyer represent them in interview.

voluntary police interview
No matter how friendly the police they are speaking to you as a suspect

Unfortunately the ‘softly softly’ approach recently adopted by the police might avoid a person having the same set of worries.  A request by a police officer for a ‘quick chat’, either at your home address, a room at the police station, or another place such as the rear of a police car, is because the officer is investigating you for an offence.

The police have reason to believe that you have committed an offence.  They are investigating this allegation.

Why is a voluntary interview important?

What you say in a voluntary interview has the same weight as if you had been arrested an interviewed at a police station.  It remains an interview under caution.

As a result, what a person does or doesn’t say might have the following effects:

  • lead to a conviction where there is no evidence other than an admission
  • result in a charge to court rather than an out of court disposal such as restorative justice
  • the police may issue an unwarranted caution where a person has not given clear denials
  • give an accused problems at trial before either the Magistrates’ or Crown Courts

The gravity of the situation is best shown by the fact that the police police interview under cautionroutinely deal with such serious matters as robbery, drug supply and serious sexual offences by way of voluntary interviews.

Whether you are interviewed while under arrest at a police station or as a volunteer in your front room this will not influence the decision as to whether you will end up in court. This will be influenced by the seriousness of the allegation and the strength of the evidence.  This will include what you have said to the police in any voluntary interview.

Should I have a solicitor in police interview?

Perhaps a better question is why shouldn’t you have a solicitor in police interview?  We have previously written on this subject here, but in summary you ought to seek legal advice for any of the following reasons:

  • a legal aid solicitor will always be free
  • it is your legal right to have a lawyer – use it!
  • our lawyers are experts in the field of criminal law
  • we are totally independent of the police
  • only the police delay your release, not your solicitor
  • a lawyer will give you time to think
  • we can negotiate an outcome with the police
  • the police are more likely to disclose the evidence they hold
  • having a solicitor does not make you look guilty

Instruct a criminal defence specialist now for your police interview

There is an element of truth in the police suggestion that having a solicitor will delay any voluntary interview.  That is only true, however, if we are only called when the police are at your door or you have attended at the police station.

You are likely to know that you are to be interviewed under caution in advance.  As soon as you find out, contact your nearest office to make the arrangement for one of our solicitors or accredited police station representatives to attend.  We’ll need to know you details, where you are to be interviewed and when, and then we will make sure that we are there at the same time as the police.

Alternatively you can use the contact form below and we will then make contact with you.

Contact

 

 

 

News

Have car will travel – nationwide criminal advice and representation

VHS Fletchers Solicitors have six offices across the East Midlands, staffed with specialists in the field of Criminal Defence work. Whilst it will come as no surprise that these locations are situated close to local Police Stations and Courts, the team at VHS Fletchers will happily travel much further to give nationwide criminal advice and representation to our client’s accused of criminal acts.

nationwide criminal advice and representation
VHS Fletchers offices across the East Midlands

Within the last few months staff from our Chesterfield office have had many early mornings and late nights travelling the length and breadth of the country to provide our clients with the expert legal advice that they have come to expect.

We travel to give nationwide criminal advice and representation

Those places recently visited by the staff from our Chesterfield office include:

  • Grimsby Police Station
  • Harrogate Police Station
  • South Sefton (Liverpool) Magistrates’ Court
  • Newport Magistrates’ Court
  • South Shields Magistrates’ Court
  • Grimsby Magistrates’ Court
  • Leeds Magistrates’ Court
  • Norwich Magistrates’ Court
  • Sheffield Magistrates’ Court

All of our Clients involved in these cases had links to the Chesterfield area.  They firstly wanted a solicitor local to them rather than to the police station or court they had to attend.  They also didn’t want a solicitor or other representative that they did not know or trust.

As such they asked whether a member of our Chesterfield criminal defence team would be prepared to travel and provide them with  expert legal advice about their cases.  We were only to happy to do so.  These clients faced a range of offences including assault, escaping from lawful custody, possession of offensive weapons or road traffic offences.

Here is a post relating to advice and assistance given by accredited police station representative Rob Lowe at Skegness police station.

Nearly forgot, police station advice is free

nationwide criminal advice and representationAs we have a contract with the government to provide criminal legal aid advice and representation then our advice in the police station will always be free of charge to you.

Many of our clients will be entitled to legal aid in the Magistrates’ Court.  Nearly all will be eligible for Crown Court legal aid.

Instruct a firm to go that extra mile

nationwide criminal advice and representationYou may choose your solicitor by reputation.  You might want to choose a solicitor with an office near to where you live, no matter where your case will be heard.

If you require the assistance of a firm of expert criminal defence solicitors who are more than happy to travel to provide you with nationwide criminal advice and representation, then look no further than VHS Fletchers.

We will go that extra mile (or if need be the hundreds of extra miles) needed to ensure that you get the best outcome possible.  Please contact our Chesterfield Office day or night, 365 days a year on 01246 283000.  Alternatively you can use the form below.

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