Rights and LimitsStopped in the street or in a vehicleStopped and searched in the street
Stopped and searched in the street
There is a short and simple version of this page. One idea per sentence, no legal words.
What you must do, and what you can refuse
Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.
You must
Refusing is a criminal offence.
The officer may detain you for the purpose of carrying out the search.
So walking away from a lawful detention risks arrest. Object verbally, not physically.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.1(2)(b)
“may detain a person or vehicle for the purpose of such a search”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
You can refuse
No penalty for saying no.
You are under no obligation to give your name, address or date of birth for a stop-and-search record.
PACE Code A says so in terms, and adds that you should not even be asked for it for that purpose. The separate anti-social-behaviour power is in the third column.
PACE Code A (2023), paragraph 4.3
“The person is under no obligation to provide this information and they should not be asked to provide it for the purpose of completing the record.”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
A s.1 PACE search is not permitted at all unless the officer has reasonable grounds for suspecting they will find something.
A hunch is not grounds. Neither, on its own, is your race, age or the area you are in.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.1(3)
“This section does not give a constable power to search a person or vehicle or anything in or on a vehicle unless he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that he will find stolen or prohibited articles”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Lawful to refuse — but it costs you
Not an offence, but it carries a penalty or an inference.
Refusing, or giving a false name, once that requirement is properly made is an offence carrying a fine up to level 3.
This is the exception that catches people out — it converts an ordinary street stop into a situation where silence is chargeable.
Police Reform Act 2002, s.50(2)
“is guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
What actually happens, by the numbers
In 2026-07, 29 forces published records of 34,867 stop and searches in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
65.7% of those searches — 22,892 of them — ended in a no further action disposal. Being searched is not, on the published record, a strong predictor of anything being found.
The power most often used
| Power | Searches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (section 23) | 21,782 | 62.5% |
| Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (section 1) | 12,507 | 35.9% |
| Firearms Act 1968 (section 47) | 207 | 0.6% |
| Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (section 60) | 207 | 0.6% |
Which is worth knowing before you are stopped: the everyday search is far more likely to be a drugs search under s.23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act than the s.1 PACE power most guides lead with. Both need reasonable grounds.
Source: data.police.uk · published month 2026-07 · retrieved 2026-09-05 · Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts as published; no trends or estimates. England, Wales and Northern Ireland only. Police Scotland does not publish to this API.
First, find out which power they are using
“Stop and search” is not one power. Which one the officer is using changes what they need, and what you can sensibly ask.
- s.1 PACE 1984 — the everyday power, for stolen or prohibited articles. Needs reasonable grounds for suspecting they will find something.
- s.23 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 — for controlled drugs. Also needs reasonable grounds to suspect.
- s.60 CJPOA 1994 — a time-and-place authorisation given by a senior officer. Within it, no individual suspicion is needed.
Asking “what power are you using, and what are you looking for?” is not obstruction. It is information the officer already has to give you.
What the officer must tell you before searching
Before a search, the officer must give you their name and their station, what they are looking for, and their grounds. Many officers are taught the mnemonic GOWISELY for this list.
If you take nothing else away: ask for the grounds and remember them. “You match a description” is a ground you can later test; “because I can” is not.
You are entitled to a record of the search. If you are not given one at the time, you can ask for one afterwards from the force involved.
Complain later, not there
The street is the worst place to win an argument about whether a search is lawful. Physically resisting a search — even an unlawful one — risks a separate offence.
Note the officer’s number, note the grounds they gave, and take it up afterwards with the force’s professional standards department or the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Last reviewed 2026-08-25. Next review due 2027-02-25. No solicitor has reviewed this page — see [email protected] if you think something here is wrong.