Student demonstrations: Advice for those wanted by Police.
All Colours Are Beautiful | 04.01.2011 23:42 | Education | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles
If you have been identified in the mass media as one of these people you DO NOT need to hand your self in. There is little to gain. See this article for more on that
http://www.fitwatch.org.uk/2010/12/13/students-should-not-be-panicked-by-mets-published-pictures/
However there are reports of individuals who the police are searching for in order to make an arrest. Some people may believe they do not have much chance of escaping arrest due to the amount of details the police have on you (such as your name) and may not want to go underground and are therefore considering handing themselves in. The writers of this article (All Colours Are Beautiful) would like to share this advice:
If the police have your name and they want to arrest you and you are thinking about handing yourself in:
- This doesn't mean you are guilty. Just that it may be hard to avoid being arrested. This way you can have more control over the situation and give yourself TIME TO PREPARE.
- Check the Green and Black Cross detailed bust card ( http://greenandblackcross.org/legal/briefings)
- Consider giving a no comment interview. This puts the ball in their court and means you don't admit anything till you see what they have against you. It can be too easy to start trying to explain yourself and end up admitting something they otherwise couldn't prove.
- Get a GOOD solicitor. NOT A DUTY SOLICITOR. You want a legal firm that has experience and understanding with protesters. The Green and Black team have been working with Bindmans through all the student demos so far. Bindmans can be called on 02078334433. But two other good firms are Birnberg and Pierce (02099110166) and Hodge, Jones and Allan (07659111192).
- Don't turn up to the station with your phone. They'll take it. Plus anything else you have on you that they think relates to the case.
- What address will you give? What addresses are the cops likely to know you live at? Empty these spaces of anything that might connect you to the case (clothes, flyers, shoes, pictures). Remove your laptop, phones, cameras, maybe advise your housemates to do the same. Take these things to another space the cops wont find out about and destroy anything incriminating such as clothing. Cops only have permission to search shared spaces and your private space but sometimes they try to ignore that and go into other people's rooms. Is there anything else in your house that you don't want them to find?
- What have you been saying on Facebook, Twitter etc? What have people said about you? What photos are you tagged in? Remove anything you think might amount to evidence against you.
We are all trouble makers!
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