Powers of the police in England and Wales


The powers of the police in England and Wales are defined largely by statute law, with the main sources of power being the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Police Act 1996. This article covers the powers of police officers of territorial police forces only, but a police officer in one of the UK's special police forces can utilise extended jurisdiction powers outside of their normal jurisdiction in certain defined situations as set out in statute. In law, police powers are given to constables. All police officers in England and Wales are 'constables' in law whatever their rank. Certain police powers are also available to a limited extent to police community support officers and other non warranted positions such as police civilian investigators or designated detention officers employed by some police forces even though they are not constables.
There are several general powers constables have that normal members of the public do not, including :-
The powers have various limits and generally require a clear reason for their exercise to be made known to a person subject of to one of the above powers, unless impractical due to the persons behavior or unusual circumstances.
Powers to stop and search can be extended on a limited basis by legislation such as s.60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 or ss.44-47 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Once a person has been arrested his/her vehicle or residence can be searched without the need for a warrant to be obtained for the purpose of obtaining evidence connected to the offence causing the arrest, as long as the offence or suspected offence was indictable. This power is provided by Section 18 or 18 and/or 32 of PACE 1984 depending on the circumstances. If a person is arrested in a premises or were in a premises immediately before arrest, Section 32 states a Constable has the power "to enter and search any premises in which he was when arrested or immediately before he was arrested for evidence relating to the offence". Constables and PCSOs also have the power under this section to search an individual for items that may assist or facilitate an escape from custody

Detention

There are three different types of detention:
Detention without arrest is only permitted in certain circumstances, and is not a generally available power as in some other jurisdictions. In addition to the power to detain during a search a Constable may detain a person under the following provisions:
Section and ActPurposeDurationNotes
of the Contempt of Court Act 1981for contempt of courtuntil the court rises when ordered by the court
of the Mental Health Act 1983people suffering from mental disorders in a public place and in immediate need of care or controlfor 72 hours
or of the Mental Health Act 1983people who have absconded from detention under the Actto return them to lawful custody
of the County Courts Act 1984for contempt of courtuntil the court rises when ordered by the court
of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980for non-payment of a fineuntil 8am the next morningwhen ordered by the court
of the Football Spectators Act 1989to determine whether a football banning order should be madefor four hours British citizens only

Detention after arrest

Where a person is arrested for an offence, they will be taken to a police station. The custody officer at that police station must determine whether he has sufficient evidence to charge the detainee for the offence and may keep the detainee in custody until he can make this decision. The Custody Officer has sufficient evidence if he has sufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction. If the Custody Officer determines that he does have sufficient evidence, he must charge the person or release him. If he determines he does not have enough evidence to charge him he must release him unless he has reasonable grounds for believing that his detention without being charged is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which he is under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning him.
In terrorism cases, a person may be detained for a maximum of 28 days. Otherwise, a person may be detained for a maximum of 96 hours from the relevant time, in line with the following restrictions:
Authorising personTest to be appliedRequirement for reviewMaximum limit
Custody Officer
  • insufficient evidence to charge the arrested person and
  • reasonable grounds for believing that his detention without being charged is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which he is under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning him
Review Officer
  • insufficient evidence to charge the arrested person and
  • reasonable grounds for believing that his detention without being charged is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which he is under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning him
    		• 6 hours after the decision to detain or 9 hours after the last review24 hours from the relevant time
    Superintendent or above
  • the Review Officer has made two reviews
  • reasonable grounds for believing that
  • *his detention without being charged is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which he is under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning him
  • * offence for which he is under arrest is an indictable offence
  • * investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously
    		• 36 hours from the relevant time
    Magistrates' court
  • application made on oath by a Constable
  • satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that
  • * his detention without charge is necessary to secure or preserve evidence relating to an offence for which he is under arrest or to obtain such evidence by questioning him;
  • * an offence for which he is under arrest is an indictable offence; and
  • * the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously.
    		• A magistrates' court can only grant or extend a warrant for up to 36 hours.96 hours from the relevant time
    On expiry of the time limit, the arrested person must be released, either on or without police bail and may not be rearrested without warrant for the same offence unless new evidence has come to light since the original arrest.

    Detention after charge

    Following charge, a person may be detained in custody pending their trial or during their trial before sentencing.
    Immediately after charge, if the detainee is not released, he must be brought before a magistrates' court as soon as is practicable.

    Treatment in detention

    The treatment of suspects held in detention is governed by to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in the case of suspects related to terrorism and by in other cases. It is generally the responsibility of a designated Custody Officer to ensure that the provisions of the relevant Code and of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 are not breached.
    In particular, a person detained has the following rights; and must be informed of these rights at the earliest opportunity:
    Some or all of these rights may be suspended in exceptional circumstances.

    Search without warrant

    Premises

    A Constable may enter and search any premises occupied or controlled by a person who is under arrest for an indictable offence, if he has reasonable grounds for believing that there is on the premises evidence that relates to that offence, or to some other indictable offence which is connected with or similar to that offence. This power, under section 18 of PACE, requires the authority of a police officer of at least the rank of Inspector and is normally conducted whilst a person is in police custody at a police station. Under PACE section 18, such a search of premises may be conducted prior to the arrested person being detained in police custody and prior to an authority by an Inspector if the presence of the person at a place is necessary for the effective investigation of the offence. However an Inspector must be informed following such a search. This power is used much less than 18.
    Under section 32 of PACE, a constable has the power, if a person has been arrested for an indictable offence, to enter and search any premises in which he was when arrested or immediately before s/he was arrested for evidence relating to the offence.

    People or vehicles

    Search without arrest

    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 was enacted to correct problems with the implementation of the powers used by the police. The 'sus' law allowed police to stop, search, and subsequently arrest a 'suspected person' without warrant, reason or evidence. Due to the unfair implementation of this law within the black community, there were riots in some parts of the country in majority black areas in the early 1980s and "sus" was repealed in 1981. The vast majority of search powers now require 'reasonable suspicion' of an offence to be present. Constables cannot carry out 'consensual' searches of a person unless a power to search exists.
    Before searching anyone or anything, a Constable in plain clothes must identify himself as a Constable and show his warrant card or similar, and a Constable must state:
    Before searching an unattended vehicle, a Constable must leave a notice stating:
    The above provisions do not apply to searches under section 6 of PACE or section 27 of the Aviation Security Act 1982, which both relate to vehicles leaving goods handling areas where searches are routine.
    A search without arrest is unlawful if it appears to the Constable, after first detaining the person or vehicle, that the search is not required or it is impracticable. A person or vehicle may be detained for the purposes of a search for as long as is reasonably required to permit a search to be carried out either at the place where the person or vehicle was first detained or nearby. Whilst in public, a Constable cannot require a person to remove any of his clothing other than an outer coat, jacket or gloves. The powers to search are as follows:

    Search after arrest

    A Constable may search a person who has been arrested if the Constable has reasonable grounds for believing that the arrested person may present a danger to himself or others. A Constable may also search an arrested person for anything which he might use to assist him to escape from lawful custody, or which might be evidence relating to an offence.
    This power is given to both Constables and PCSOs by of the .
    A Constable may search a person arrested under of the Terrorism Act 2000 to discover whether he has in his possession anything which may constitute evidence that he is a terrorist.

    Searches in detention

    The Custody Officer must record everything which an arrested person has with him at the police station and may search a person to the extent that he considers it necessary to do so, but may not conduct an intimate search for these purposes. The Custody Officer may seize anything, but may only seize clothes or personal effects if the Custody Officer:
    An Inspector also has a limited power to order a search of an arrested person in order to facilitate establishing the identity of a person, particularly by discovering tattoos or other marks. Where such a search requires more than the removal of the arrested person's outer clothing, the provisions of to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 relating to strip searches apply.
    An intimate search is a search of the bodily orifices. It should be conducted by a suitably qualified person unless this is impracticable and done in the presence of two other people. An intimate search requires the authorisation of an inspector and may only be made in one of the following circumstances:
    ConditionConsentPlace
    The inspector reasonably believes
    • that the detainee has concealed on him anything he could use and might use in police detention or custody of the court to cause physical injury to himself or others; and
    • that the article in question cannot be found unless the detainee is intimately searched.
    		Consent is not necessary for the search to take place and reasonable force may be used to conduct the search.Police station, hospital, surgery or other medical premises.
    The inspector reasonably believes
  • that the detainee may have a Class A drug concealed on him;
  • that the detainee was in possession of the drug before his arrest with intention to illegally supply or export it; and
  • that it cannot be found unless the detainee is intimately searched.
    		• Consent for the search is necessary. If the detainee refuses to give consent, proper inferences may be drawn but force may not be used.Hospital, surgery or other medical premises.

    Stop and account

    Stop and account" is a standard operating procedure, rather than a power, of the police, under Recommendation 61 ; it is not a statutory procedure like stop and search. It applies to people on foot in a public place. There is no power to force a person to stop, or to detain them. The decision to "request" a person to "stop and account" is left to the discretion of the individual officer; there is no guidance on this. Unlike stop and search, there is no requirement for "reasonable suspicion". There is no actual requirement on a police officer, beyond identifying themself as such; no need to tell the persons stopped why they are being asked to account for themselves, or to say that they are free to leave without answering questions. However, police forces have procedures governing stops. While a record must be made of every stop, there is no requirement for police forces to keep statistics on number of stops or ethnicity of people stopped, according to the College of Policing.
    Advice to the public on the West Midlands Police website explains:
    Different police forces have different documents, and forms for recording stops. According to the Metropolitan Police the documented stop and account procedure was recommended after the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry found that stopping people informally, as had been the usual procedure, "created a barrier between the police and the community. These stops were not monitored and no records were kept."
    The Home Office said in 2013 that stop and account was not a defined power set out in primary legislation, but an "important part of on-street policing.... It constitutes the next step beyond the general conversations officers have with members of the public every day."

    Power of seizure

    The main power of seizure a constable has is provided by Section 19 of PACE 1984. This provides a general power of seizure for anything that has he/she has reasonable grounds for believing was obtained during the commission of an offence and that the seizure is necessary to stop it being concealed, lost, damaged or destroyed. The same section also provides a power of seizure of items suspected to be evidence of an offence.
    Other powers also exist, such as customs powers which provide a Constable, Customs Officer or any member of HM Armed Forces or Coastguard the ability to seize, retain and condemn goods under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979

    Arrest without warrant

    The only powers of detention that are available to a constable in England and Wales are discussed above. A constable's power of arrest is provided by the following sources:
    Whether being arrested, detained or spoken to about an offence or suspected offence, Section 10 Code C of PACE states that the caution must be used. When used in conjunction with an arrest the suspect:
    A person must be 'cautioned' when being arrested unless this is impractical due to the behaviour or condition of the arrestee, such as drunkenness or unresponsive. There is also a requirement to caution an individual when they are also suspected of a criminal offence but are not being subject to arrest at that time. The caution is:
    You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

    Deviation from this accepted form is permitted provided that the same information is conveyed. There also exists the 'when' caution, 'now' caution and a 'restricted' caution. The 'when' caution is generally used during an arrest or interview on the street or at a police station. The 'now' caution is most commonly used when charging or issuing an FPN or PND.
    Persons other than constables "who are charged with the duty of investigating offences or charging offenders" have a duty to adhere to any relevant provisions of the codes of practice as per Sectopn 67 PACE.
    There are three general means of arresting without warrant: firstly in relation to a criminal offence, secondly in relation to a breach of the peace and thirdly for miscellaneous purposes.

    Criminal offences

    Prior to 1967, the only general power of arrest for offences was that which existed for felonies. In 1964, Home Secretary Rab Butler asked the Criminal Law Revision Committee to look into the distinction between felonies and misdemeanours, and their recommendation was that the distinction be abolished, as it was obsolete. As most powers of arrest relied on the offence being a felony, a new set of arrest criteria were introduced by the Criminal Law Act 1967, which created the arrestable offence.
    These arrest powers were later re-enacted by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which also created an alternative set of arrest criteria which applied in particular circumstances, such as where the person's name or address were not known. As time went on, the number of offences that were defined as "arrestable" grew significantly, to the point where the distinction was becoming confusing and unworkable.
    In 2005, the PACE powers of arrest were repealed by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, which also abolished the arrestable offence and instead replaced it with a need-tested system for arrest which applied to every offence.
    A constable may therefore arrest :
    Additionally, if a constable suspects that an offence has been committed, then:
    Under Code G of PACE, a constable may only use the powers of arrest given above:
    to enable the name of the person in question to be ascertained,
    correspondingly as regards the person's address,
    to prevent the person in question:
    to protect a child or other vulnerable person from the person in question,
    to allow the prompt and effective investigation of the offence or of the conduct of the person in question:
    or to prevent any prosecution for the offence from being hindered by the disappearance of the person in question.
    Notes 2A to 2J provide further clarification on the above:
    In relation to above, where mobile fingerprinting is available and the suspect's name cannot be ascertained/is in doubt, consideration should be given using the power under 61 of PACE to take and check the fingerprints of a suspect as this may avoid the need to arrest solely to enable a name to be ascertained.
    In the instances above of being unable to ascertain name/address, causing physical injury to himself or other person, offences against public decency, obstruction of the highway, note 2D of Code G states that a warning should be considered before arrest in order to perhaps avoid the arrest or in order to clarify the justification for arrest by way of demonstrating the intent to commit the crime and therefore rebut any defence that they were acting reasonably.
    The meaning of 'prompt' under the 'prompt and effective investigation' is held to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and consideration should be given to street bailing the suspect rather than arresting them. Released on bail criteria are covered partly under 30A of PACE.
    Voluntary attendance at a police station at a later date negates the need to arrest for the prompt and effective investigation when there is no suggestion that the suspect will not attend and if the suspect's name/address can be ascertained. When the person attends the police station for a voluntary interview, their arrest on arrival at the station prior to interview would only be justified if new information came to light after arrangements were made indicates that from that time, voluntary attendance ceased to be a practicable alternative and the person's arrest became necessary and it was not reasonably practicable for the person to be arrested before they attended the station.
    If a person who attends for a voluntary interview decides to leave before the interview is complete, the police would at that point be entitled to consider whether their arrest was necessary to carry out the interview. The possibility that the person might decide to leave during the interview is therefore not a valid reason for arresting them before the interview has commenced. See Code C paragraph 3.16
    Section 29 PACE states a person attending a police station or other place for a voluntary attendance is free to leave at any time unless he/she is placed under arrest. They are also to be immediately informed they are under arrest if a decision is made to arrest them to prevent them from leaving by the constable.
    The necessity test has been held to have been incorrectly applied in the following instances, which are therefore unlawful arrests: Richardson v Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Alexander, Farrelly et al. judicial review.
    Section 30 of PACE states that any person arrested in a place other than a police station must be taken to a police station as soon as practicable after the arrest. This section also states that if at any time before reaching the police station, a constable is satisfied there are no grounds for keeping that person under arrest, they must be released without bail immediately and a record of this must be made. This section does not state that the original constable should release the individual if they become satisfied there is no reason to hold the suspect, but the section states that "a Constable" may become satisfied, which suggests that this may be a different constable than who made the original arrest
    Bail
    When an offender is arrested and later released, bail conditions are often applied under Section 30 of PACE, which state the constable may impose bail conditions which as appear to the constable to be necessary:
    Although not part of the Codes of Practice as such, PACE itself does outlaw certain other practices, such as:
    is one of the oldest, and most basic offences still in existence in England & Wales. It is an offence at common law, not codified, so it cannot be found in any act of Parliament. The power of arrest in relation to breach of the peace is available to anyone, who may arrest without warrant:
    However, the Court of Appeal laid down the following conditions:
    There are few powers of arrest without warrant where an offence is not either known or suspected to have been committed. A constable may arrest a person:
    ;Absconding or going AWOL
    ;Alcohol and driving
    ;Other powers
    A constable's power to use reasonable force is provided by the following law / statutory instruments:
    Common law has most recently affirmed the use of force in Beckford v R, in which Lord Griffiths affirmed that "the test to be applied for self-defence is that a person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances as he honestly believes them to be in the defence of himself or another". A more general explanation of what is reasonable was also made four years prior in 1984 under Collins v. Wilcock 1 WLR 1172 DC, which stated that a Constable may use force not otherwise covered by legislation or other law if it they "had been acting within the bounds of what was generally acceptable in the ordinary conduct of daily life".
    The European Convention on Human Rights 1953 further states:
    "2. Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary:
    a.     in defence of any person from unlawful violence;
    b.     in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained;
    c.     in action lawfully taken for the purpose of quelling a riot or insurrection.''"
    The Criminal Law Act 1967 allows any person to use reasonable force in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, effecting or assisting the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large.
    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides a power for a Constable to use reasonable force when they are lawfully using a power under the same act.
    The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 further clarified the use of force as per the above, but also reiterated force may still be reasonable if it was influenced by an honestly held, albeit mistaken belief.

    Powers of entry

    A constable has a right of entry to private land in three broad circumstances: by consent, without consent, and without consent and by force.
    In English law, "consent" in relation to trespass includes situations where a licence is implied without having to be explicitly stated: for example, walking through a private garden to reach the front door of a house for the purpose of delivering a letter. Where consent has not been granted by the occupier, entry without consent may be exercised where a search warrant has been issued, or in other specific circumstances where the matter is urgent or serious, and the power has been specifically granted by law. The police have the power to use reasonable force to enter under a warrant, and under the other powers of entry discussed below.

    Search warrants

    There are known to be around 900 provisions in law under which search warrants may be issued. Typically, these permit a police officer and/or other official to enter and search premises, using force if necessary, and seize evidence. These are generally issued by a justice of the peace following a written application stating the reasons for entering. As a general rule, search warrants are only issued where access cannot be gained by consent, or where attempting to gain consent might lead to evidence being destroyed, etc.

    Other powers of entry

    Other than with a search warrant, a constable may enter premises only in specific circumstances, almost all of which are listed in section 17 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which largely codified and replaced the historic common law provisions as to entry and search. In addition to powers under section 17 PACE, a small number of other Acts provide a power of entry without a warrant.
    Where a power to enter and search for the purpose of arresting or recapturing a person comes from section 17 PACE, it is only exercisable if the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that the person whom he is seeking is on the premises. "Reasonable belief" is a higher threshold than that required to arrest a person, which only requires "reasonable suspicion". Therefore, there must be some fact that causes the constable to believe that the person in question is present at the time - for example, seeing a person present who matches their description, or being told that they are present.
    A power to enter and search under section 17 for the purpose of arresting or recapturing a person is also limited, in relation to premises consisting of two or more separate dwellings, to entering and searching common areas and the dwelling in question, but not other dwellings in the same premises.
    The power of search conferred by section 17 is only a power to search to the extent that is reasonably required for the purpose for which the power of entry is exercised. Therefore, a power to search for a person who is wanted would not include a power to search for evidence of the offence for which they are wanted. However, as the constable would be lawfully on the premises, if he were to come across such evidence in his search for the person it could still be seized under section 19 of PACE, and should the constable find and arrest the person who is wanted, he could then search the premises for evidence of the offence.
    PACE defines "premises" as including any place and, in particular, includes any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or hovercraft, an offshore installation, a renewable energy installation, and a tent or movable structure.
    Source of powerPurposeExtent of powerNotes
    Common lawDeal with or prevent an imminent breach of the peaceRemain so long as is necessary: whilst on the premises a constable has the usual power to deal with or prevent a breach of the peace, including arrest where necessaryPower is to enter and remain for so long as is necessary
    s17 PACEexecuting a warrant of arrest issued in connection with or arising out of criminal proceedings, or a warrant of commitment issued under of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980Enter and search for the person in question
    s17 PACEArresting a person for an indictable offenceEnter and search for the person in question
    s17 PACEArresting a person for an offence under:
    		Enter and search for the person in questionThe power of entry to arrest for an offence normally only applies to indictable offences, but these summary offences provide specific powers of entry
    s17 PACEArresting, in pursuance of of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, any child or young person who has been remanded or committed to local authority accommodation under section 23 of that ActEnter and search for the person in question
    s17 PACEArresting a person for an offence to which of the Animal Health Act 1981 appliesEnter and search for the person in question
    s17 PACERecapturing a person who is unlawfully at large while liable to be detained in a prison, remand centre, young offender institution or secure training centre, or in pursuance of of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 2000, in any other place,Enter and search for the person in questionUsed to enter and search for escaped prisoners, but also prisoners who have been released on licence and whose licence has then been revoked
    s17 PACERecapturing any person whatever who is unlawfully at large and whom he is pursuingEnter and search for the person in question
    s17 PACESaving life or limb, or preventing serious damage to propertyEnter and search to the extent that is reasonably required for the purpose of saving life or limb, or damage to property, as the case may beFor example, where a burst pipe is flooding another property, or a person inside is believed to be seriously unwell and needs assistance. This power is also extended to PCSOs.
    General power to enter licensed premisesInspecting to see whether the licence conditions are being observedThis power includes premises temporarily licensed, but does not include members' clubs
    General power to enter members' clubs where a constable has reason to believe an supply offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 is being committed, or there is likely to be a breach of the peaceEnter and search
    General power to enter any premises where a constable has reason to believe an offence under the Licensing Act 2003 is being committedEnter and search

    Other powers

    Road checks

    A uniformed constable, PCSO or traffic officer may stop any vehicle at any time under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. However, if a constable wishes, for one of the reasons given below, to stop all vehicles or certain vehicles selected by any criterion, then they must do so under the power granted by section 4 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. A road check is normally only authorised by a police officer of the rank of superintendent or above, in which case the restrictions given in the second column apply. However, if it appears to an officer below the rank of superintendent that a road check is required as a matter of urgency, then he may authorise it himself. In this case, the conditions given in the second column do not apply.
    ReasonConditions for authorisation by superintendent
    a person who has committed an offence if he has reasonable grounds:
    • for believing that the offence is an indictable offence, and
    • for suspecting that the person is, or is about to be, in the locality in which vehicles would be stopped if the road check were authorised
    a person who is a witness to an offence if he has reasonable grounds for believing that the offence is an indictable offence
    a person intending to commit an offence if he has reasonable grounds:
  • for believing that the offence would be an indictable offence, and
  • for suspecting that the person is, or is about to be, in the locality in which vehicles would be stopped if the road check were authorised
    • a person who is unlawfully at largeif he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the person is, or is about to be, in that locality.
    If an officer below the rank of superintendent gives authorisation, it must be referred to a superintendent as soon as it is practicable to do so. Where a superintendent gives authorisation for a road check, he:
    If it appears to an officer of the rank of superintendent or above that a road check ought to continue beyond the period for which it has been authorised he may specify a further period, not exceeding seven days, during which it may continue.
    In addition to the powers to conduct road checks given above, the police have a common law power to set up road checks and search vehicles stopped at them in order to prevent a breach of the peace.

    Removal of disguises

    Under Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, if:
    then a Constable in uniform can:
    Authorisations apply to one locality only, last for 24 hours, and the inspector who gives them must inform a superintendent as soon as possible. A superintendent can extend the authorisation for a further 24 hours. Failure to remove a disguise when required is an offence.

    Power to direct a person to leave

    A Constable has the power to direct a person to leave a place if he believes that the person is in the place prohibited by a court order or condition as provided by the Section 112 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
    A further power to direct someone to leave exists under Section 35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This allows a Constable the ability to direct a person to leave if he reasonably suspects the behaviour of the person is causing or likely to cause members of the public in the locality being harassed, alarmed or distressed or that the person will contribute in the locality of crime or disorder. Conditions to this are found under Section 34 & 36.
    Other reasons to direct a person or persons to leave an area are also available, e.g. to dissuade someone from committing further offences, to prevent someone from obstructing the highway, removing someone from a crime scene, etc.

    Photographing suspects

    Section 61 of PACE allows a Constable to take a suspect's fingerprints without consent when he suspects someone has or is committing an offence and there is a doubt about the suspect's name

    Power to demand name/address for anti-social behaviour

    Section 50 of Police Reform Act 2002 allows a Constable in uniform to require a person to give his name and address if they have reason to believe they have been, or are acting in an anti-social manner. This power is also available to PCSOs and others.
    The definition of anti-social behavior is provided by Section 2 Anti-social behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014: