Police Discretion Flashcards
1
Q
How do Gelsthorpe and Padfield define discretion in 2003?
A
“The freedom, power, authority or leeway of an official, organisation or individual the decide, discern or determine to make judgement, choice or decision about alternative courses of action or inaction”
2
Q
How does Damien Green, justice minister at that time, describe police discretion in 2013?
A
“Police have to use their judgment, good judgment, all the time”
“That judgement-whether to arrest or caution for a low level vehicle crime, or whether someone caught cycling on a pavement needs a telling off or a fixed penalty notice is always crucial”
3
Q
What does Reiner say about discretion?
A
“Even the most precisely worded rule of law requires interpretation in concrete situations”
