One of the most serious circumstances an individual can find themselves in is being arrested. It doesn’t matter whether you are guilty of the crime you are being charged for or not, you have rights that must be respected at this time. The Police will be the authority making the arrest so they must ensure that you are aware of your rights and that you are given the proper chance to exercise them.
You have a few arrest rights that are very important and that you should invoke as soon as possible.
The legal rights that pertain to an arrest all depend on the age of the individual. Those that are over eighteen have slightly different rights compared to those under eighteen.
Most people don’t know what their legal rights are when they get arrested. The Police have what is called a code of practice and this code is available in written form. This is a list of the rules they must follow. The individual who has been arrested has the right to ask and see this written form of the code of practice.
Also, the Police have your legal rights in a hard copy form. You have the right to see this hard copy. If you need it to be in your language you can ask for this. Or if necessary you can ask for an interpreter to translate the notice for you.
Some of the legal rights that you have when you are arrested is the chance to notify someone of your choice as to where you are being held under arrest. You also have the legal right to immediate free legal advice. If you are not feeling well you should inform the Police about this. They have the responsibility of getting you the medical help that you need, as this is another one of your legal rights.
While in custody you have the right to be given breaks during an interview as well as the opportunity to use the bathroom as needed. You also have the right to ask for food if you are being held under arrest.
Individuals under eighteen or vulnerable adults have the legal right for the Police to make every effort to contact the parents or legal guardian of the offender.A responsible adult also has to be present during questioning and searching.