There is no specific offence of swearing at a police officer, and in fact it is not a specific crime of swearing in public, only of causing “harassment alarm or distress” under the Act mentioned above. This requires some evidence of an individual being, or being likely to be, offended by the language used.
Swearing at police is no longer a crime because officers hear foul-mouthed abuse too often to be offended, a High Court judge has ruled. The landmark judgement came as Mr Justice Bean overturned a public order conviction of a young suspect who repeatedly used the F-word while being searched for drugs.
He also notes that it is not illegal in the UK to swear in public, per se – rather, it is illegal to cause alarm, distress, or harassment using threatening, abusive, or insulting language.
If asked to do so, you must give your name, address, date and place of birth and nationality to the officer. You may also be asked for an explanation of your behaviour. If you give false information or refuse to answer, you are committing an offence for which you could be arrested and charged.
Motorists across the UK have been urged to reel in their inner road rage as swearing behind the wheel can result in fines up to £1,000. This is because drivers can be handed a penalty for “disorderly conduct” under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
The police may knock and announce their presence at your door but, unless they have a warrant, you are not required to open the door, to answer any questions, or to cooperate with the police in any fashion.
2. Don't swear at other drivers. If you curse or make rude gestures at fellow motorists, you're committing “disorderly behaviour” which could land you with a fine equal to 75 per cent of your weekly income.
It may still be possible for the police to access your phone without the passcode. Unless the data on the phone is encrypted the police can still access the information lawfully with specialist software. However, the police would usually warn a suspect that they could potentially damage the device in doing this.
Yes. If you are in charge of a vehicle, a police officer can take your car keys and forbid you to drive if they have reasonable grounds to believe that you are not capable of properly controlling the vehicle. They can also order you not to drive for a period of time, order you to drive home or immobilise your vehicle.
An officer does not need a reason to stop a person driving, or attempting to drive, for a routine check. They can then ask you to provide your name, date of birth, driving license, insurance certificate or MOT certificate.
If a manager swears at an employee
Being subject to offensive language may lead to grievances against the manager, and if the language used is so offensive and serious as to result in an employee resigning from their job, they may be able to bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal for constructive dismissal.
To be charged with Common Assault generally, it is important to understand that you don't even have to be physically violent – even shaking your fist as someone or shouting threatening words can be considered a form of Assault if the other person believes that they are about to be harmed by you.
Can your boss legally swear at you? Yes, as there is no law prohibiting foul language at work. If your employer has a policy against it, then you can report the manager to human resources, but don't expect much of a response. If you have code of conduct for your company, you can use that as a basis for your complaint.
You have a first amendment right to free speech and free expression. That means you can tell a cop exactly what's on your mind and, provided you do it in a civil manner and do not cause a public disturbance, it should be a protected form of expression.
Members of the public and the media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop them filming or photographing incidents or police personnel.
The police can hold you for up to 24 hours before they have to charge you with a crime or release you. They can apply to hold you for up to 36 or 96 hours if you're suspected of a serious crime, eg murder. You can be held without charge for up to 14 days If you're arrested under the Terrorism Act.
As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest. Police officers can stop a vehicle, speak to the occupants and, where necessary, make arrests.
Penalties for Failing to Stop for Police
The penalty for such an offence can be severe, ranging from 5-10 points being added to your driving licence, a fine of up to £2500 and in more serious cases, an instant driving ban.
A police officer can legally stop any vehicle at any time and ask to see driving documents, check the condition of the vehicle or deal with driving offences. This is not a stop and search and you may be given documentation relevant to road traffic matters.
Deleted text messages are usually retrievable from a phone, but before beginning the process, law enforcement officers would need to obtain a court order. Once obtained, officers can use mobile device forensic tools (MDFTs) to extract any data from a device, including emails, texts, images and location data.
The police (or other authorities) will generally need a warrant to search your device without your consent (except in certain exceptional circumstances). If police unlawfully search your mobile phone, any evidence recovered can potentially be suppressed, meaning it cannot be used as part of any prosecution against you.
The police have access to technology that allows them to intercept your phone remotely, but they are not permitted to use it without a court warrant. In addition, the police can extract data that is being uploaded by your phone to the cloud.
Can you refuse to be strip-searched? If the police have lawful grounds for the search, you do not have the right to refuse. If you try to refuse a lawful strip search, officers can use force where necessary to carry out the search.
“Leaving a thumbprint on the brake light is an old-school way to tag a car with a fingerprint, so it can be identified conclusively as the vehicle involved in a stop should the officer become incapacitated,” explains Hoelscher.
In short, after knocking at the front door, police are permitted to search the premises further (that is, look into windows) only if probable cause takes them there. Any evidence that the police uncover by looking in or around an unauthorized area may not be used against the criminal defendant at trial.