Stopped by police in London: what the officer must tell you before a search, what you can be asked to remove in the street, and what only out of public view

You are stopped in the street and asked where you are going. The usual mistake for a newcomer is either to argue or to agree to everything. Police powers in England and Wales are set out in detail, and the time to know them is before, not after. Everything below is from GOV.UK and the Metropolitan Police.

Do I have to stop and answer questions?

No. GOV.UK is blunt about it: you do not have to stop or answer any questions. More importantly, refusing on its own is not a reason to search or arrest you, if there is no other reason to suspect you. An officer in plain clothes must show a warrant card; a PCSO is always in uniform.

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When can the police search you?

When they have reasonable grounds to suspect you are carrying illegal drugs, a weapon, stolen property, or something that could be used to commit a crime — a crowbar, for example. Those grounds have to exist before the search, not emerge during it.

And when can they search without grounds?

They can, but only with a senior officer's authorisation, and in three situations: serious violence is suspected to be possible; you are suspected of carrying a weapon or of having used one; or you are in a specific authorised location or area. This is the regime the news calls "section 60".

What must the officer tell you before a search?

The Met uses the acronym GOWISELY for this. You must be told:

• that you are being detained for the purpose of a search;
• why you were stopped and why they chose you;
• what they expect to find;
• the officer's name and the station they are based at;
• the law under which you are being searched;
• that you have a right to a copy of the form;
• whether you are being recorded on a body-worn camera.

An officer not in uniform must show their warrant card.

What can you be asked to remove in the street?

Only your coat, jacket, footwear and gloves. Anything else — and this applies specifically to anything you wear for religious reasons — comes off out of public view, and they must not take you to a police vehicle for it. A search involving removing clothing must be carried out by an officer of the same sex as you.

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What are you entitled to afterwards?

A copy of the search record. If it cannot be given at the time, they must tell you how to obtain one. That piece of paper is the only thing that later proves the search happened, so it is worth taking every time, even when the stop was calm.

What if the person searched is under 18?

If a search exposes intimate body parts, an appropriate adult must normally be present. The exceptions are urgent safety situations, or where both the young person and the adult agree otherwise. The Met states separately that particular care is taken with under-18s and with vulnerable people.

What if you believe the search was wrong?

Arguing on the spot achieves nothing and risks a great deal: lawfulness gets assessed afterwards. What matters at the scene is different — note the officer's name and station, take the copy of the record, and do not obstruct. Complaints go to the force itself, with independent oversight if the answer does not satisfy you. Without the officer's name and the record, a complaint will almost certainly go nowhere.

A street search and an arrest are different things: once you are at the station the rights are different, and there are more of them. Those are covered separately in what to do if you are arrested and taken to a police station.

Does this apply across Britain?

No. The above is the law of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, and English provisions will not help you there.