Rights and Limits

Phones and devices

• Do you have to give police your phone password?England & Wales · Scotland

  An officer asking for your PIN is not the same as a formal s.49 RIPA notice. One you can decline; the other is an offence to refuse. The difference, with the law quoted.

• Police asking a victim or witness for their phoneEngland & Wales

  Since 2022 there is a formal, notice-based process for extracting data from the phone of a complainant or witness — not just a suspect. Providing it is meant to be genuinely voluntary. The law, quoted.