Family Harm Flashcards
Before arresting someone for breaching a Protection Order, the investigators must establish whether:
1) there is still a valid protection order
2) the person has failed to comply with any of the conditions of the protection order or
3) done any act in contravention of the order
Where does your power to arrest for a breach of Protection Order come from?
Domestic Violence Act 1995
Section 50
Post-arrest: BOPO
(Breach of Protection Order)
What are you going to tell him in relation to BAIL?
If arrested under s50 and charged with offence under s9 of DVA 1995, they must
- NOT BE GRANTED BAILED DURING 24hrs immediate Post-arrest.
Also applies when person is charged with another offence in addition to the breach offence (s23 Bail Act 2000).
- Arrested person to be brought before the court ASAP
- At expiry of 24hr and pending court appearance, follow standard procedures for determining whether the person should be granted police bail.
Explain how flatmates fall within the definitions of the DVA 1995
Flatmates who share a household with each other and do not fall in the exclusions of being employee, employer or landlord tenant exemptions section for domestic violence act 1995.
Who can authorise the issuing of a PSO?
A suitably qualitied constable holding the substantive rank of Sgt or above.
They must hold the substantive position level or otherwise be formally appointed or authorised under section 63 Policing Act 2007 to the appropriate position level.
You start a PSO for a person, but he states that he is not hanging around.
What action would you take in these circumstances?
You can detain the person for a period of up to 2hrs for the purpose of serving a PSO.
You discover that a person you have recently arrested for BOPO may have a shotgun at his residential address. While he is in custody you decide to search for and uplift this firearm.
What powers do you have to return to his address; enter, search and seize the firearm?
Search and Surveillance Act 2012
Section 18
RGTS that a person who is carrying arms, or is in possession of them or has them under their control and:
- a protection order is in force against the person under the Domestic Violence Act 1995.
Domestic Violence Act 1995 Section 48 (1)(a) states that it is an offence for a person to:
do any act in CONTRAVENTION of a Protection Order
Penalty: 3yrs imprisonment
Domestic Violence Act 1995 Section 48 (1)(b) states that it is an offence for a person to:
without reasonable excuse, fail to comply with any condition of a Protection Order
(Penalty: 3yrs imprisonment)
What is your power to arrest when an offence against DVA 1995 s49(1) occurs?
Domestic Violence Act 1995
Section 50
What is Domestic Violence Act 1995,
Section 50?
Power to arrest:
Where a Protection Order is in force, any constable may arrest without warrant, any person whom the constable has good cause to suspect has:
50(a) - contravened the PTO
50(b) - failed to comply
What are conditions of every PTO?
DVA 1995, s19(1)
Condition of every PTO that the respondent must not:
- physically/sexual abuse or threaten to abuse the protected person
- damage or threaten to damage, property of the protected person
- engage or threaten to engage, in other behaviour, including intimidation or harassment, which amounts to psychological abuse of the protected person,
- encourage any person to engage in behaviour against a protected person, where the behaviour, if engaged in by the respondent, would be prohibited by the order.
Non-contact conditions***
What are standard “Non-contact conditions” in a Protection Order?
Section 19(2) Domestic Violence Act 1995
Standard Non-contact conditions in every protection order also apply except whole the protected person and respondent are, with the express consent of the protected person, living together in the same house.
The Non-contact conditions are automatically suspended during this period but may be revived if the protected person subsequently withdraws their consent to the respondent living in the same house.
Police Safety Order:
Who is a ‘bound person’?
The person against whom the order is issued becomes the bound person (i.e. Aggressor).
They are bound by the conditions outlined in the PSO.
Police Safety Order:
Section 124c - Consent section
Police do not need the consent of the person at risk to issue a PSO.
That way, we are able to avoid the person at risk being blamed for police action.