You & the Police

Stop & search

• A police officer can stop and search you at any time if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that you are, or may be, in possession of stolen or prohibited articles.
• They must also fill out a form and normally hand it to you straight away.
• They can use as much force as is reasonable to conduct the search.
• They do not have to be in uniform as long as they show their identity card.
• They can also search your vehicle whether you are there or not.

 Anti social behaviour

• Anti-social behaviour is behaviour which causes harassment, alarm or distress to any person not of the same household.
• The police have powers to deal with anti-social behaviour - including warnings and issuing criminal behaviour orders

Crime prevention

• If you have been a victim of crime it is important that you report it to the police

Restorative Justice

• If you are a victim of a crime, you may be offered the chance to talk about how to deal with the offence and its consequences.

Going to court

• If you're charged with an offence and are under 18, you'll usually appear before the youth court.
• If you plead not guilty, a date will be set for the trial when the magistrates will hear all the evidence
• If the decision is guilty, they will then decide on the most appropriate sentence.
• All young people appearing in court are entitled to be represented by a solicitor. You may be entitled to financial help to pay for these services.