Is being stopped the same as being searched?

No. A 'stop and account' is just an officer asking what you are doing: you do not have to answer, you usually do not have to give your name, and you are free to walk away. A 'stop and search' means the police detain you and search you, and that needs a proper legal basis.

If you are unsure which is happening, ask: 'Am I being detained?' If the answer is no, you can leave.

When can the police search me?

Under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (weapons, stolen goods) and section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (drugs), an officer must have reasonable grounds to suspect they will find a specific item before searching you. Those grounds must be based on facts or intelligence, not on assumptions about who you are.

Reasonable grounds cannot be based on your age, your race, how you look, or the fact that you are known to the police.

Can the police search me without suspicion?

Sometimes, but only as an exception. Officers can search you without suspecting you personally only where a senior officer has signed an authorisation covering a set area for a limited time. These suspicionless powers are the main lawful route to a search that is not based on individual reasonable grounds, and they are deliberately confined.

The main examples are:

• Section 60 orders: put in place when police anticipate serious violence in an area, for example after a fight or where there is a risk of knife crime.
• Counter-terrorism powers: used in an authorised area under the Terrorism Act.
• Protest-related powers: newer powers allowing searches around certain protest activity.

What must the officer tell me before a search?

Before searching you, the officer must give you certain information, and if they skip it the search can be unlawful. They must identify themselves, explain the legal power they are using, tell you the reason for the search and what they are looking for, and tell you that you are entitled to a copy of the search record.

In full, they must tell you:

• their name and the station they work at;
• the legal power they are using;
• if they are recording you on a body-worn camera;
• the reason they want to search you;
• what they are looking for and why; and
• that you are entitled to a copy of the search record.

In public, they can only ask you to remove an outer coat, jacket and gloves. Anything more thorough must be done out of public view and by an officer of the same sex.

Can the police stop my car for no reason?

Yes. A uniformed officer can stop your car for no stated reason at all under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, but stopping is not searching. To search you or the vehicle, the police still need reasonable grounds or a suspicionless-search authorisation, exactly as they would if you were on foot.

What if I am under 18 or a vulnerable adult?

An 'appropriate adult' must normally be with you if the search exposes your intimate body parts. This is an important safeguard for children and vulnerable adults, and the police can only proceed without an appropriate adult in narrow circumstances that are defined in advance and must be properly recorded where consent is involved.

The appropriate adult does not need to be with you if:

• the search is urgent and there is a risk of serious harm to you or others; or
• you are under 18 and both you and your appropriate adult agree to them not being there (the police must make a record of this decision).

What can I do if I think a search was wrong?

If you believe a stop and search was unlawful or discriminatory, you can complain to the police force itself or to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and in some cases you can take legal action. The search record, which you are entitled to receive, will be useful evidence for any complaint.