Attending your client at a police station may be the first opportunity they have to see you in action. It is important that you engage the client and the police officers in a way that shows you know the rules – that you and your client won’t be pushed around – but which also seeks to reach a fair outcome to the process. The rules that we cover in this course are a first step to developing excellent client care at the police station. Let’s look at them in turn.
A suspect detained at a police station is entitled to free legal advice and to be represented by a solicitor (s.58 PACE). A solicitor’s primary duty at the police station is to “protect and advance the legal rights of their client” (Code C, Guidance Note 6D).