Stop & search.
Know your rights.
Being stopped and searched by the police can feel stressful, especially the first time. Knowing what the police can and can’t do, and how to handle the situation, puts you in a stronger position. This guide covers the rules in England, including London, Essex and Kent.
Stay calm, ask why, get the record. You can challenge it afterwards.
When can the police stop and search you?
Police must have “reasonable grounds” to suspect you are carrying something illegal or something that could be used to commit a crime. If they do, you can’t refuse the search, but being searched doesn’t mean you are being arrested.
Reasonable grounds can never be based on who you are. Your race, religion, age, appearance, the way you dress or a previous conviction are not, on their own, a lawful reason to search you. The only exception is when police are looking for someone matching a specific description.
Section 60 searches. In certain areas, for example after serious violence or at big events, a senior officer can authorise searches for weapons without individual suspicion. These usually last up to 24 hours and can be extended once by another 24 hours. In these areas, police can also ask you to remove face coverings.
Being stopped and asked questions is different. If police stop you to ask what you are doing or where you are going, you don’t have to answer, and refusing to answer can’t on its own be used as a reason to search or arrest you.
Before they search, officers must tell you GO WISELY.
Police use the word GO WISELY to remember what they must explain to you before a search. If they don’t, you can ask.
Grounds
Why they suspect you
Object
What they are looking for
Warrant card
Shown if they aren’t in uniform
Identity
Their name or badge number
Station
Where they are based
Entitlement
That you can get a copy of the search record
Legal power
The law they are using to search you
You are detained
That you are being held for the search
They should also tell you if they are recording the search on a body-worn camera.
Know your rights
Ask why
You can ask why you are being searched and what they are looking for. The officer must explain.
Get their details
You can ask for the officer’s name or badge number and the police station they are based at.
Get the record
You are entitled to a copy of the search record. If you can’t get it on the spot, you can ask for it within 3 months.
Your name and address
You don’t have to give your name, address or date of birth for a stop and search record. This is different if you are arrested or reported for an offence.
Film or record it
You can usually film or record the search, as long as you don’t get in the way of the officers.
Your ethnicity
You will be asked how you describe your ethnicity. This is used to monitor fairness. You can choose not to say.
What can you be asked to take off?
- In public, only your coat, jacket, gloves or footwear.
- Anything more, including religious items such as a turban or veil, must be done out of public view, not in a police vehicle, and by an officer of the same sex.
- You must be searched as quickly as possible and allowed to dress straight after.
Extra protection for under-18s
- A search that exposes intimate parts of the body is a strip search and has strict rules.
- For under-18s, an appropriate adult, such as a parent or carer, must normally be present. A police officer can’t be the appropriate adult.
- The only exceptions are an urgent risk of serious harm, or if the young person and their appropriate adult both agree, and this must be recorded.
How to handle the situation
Stay calm. Take deep breaths and keep your voice steady. It’s normal to feel nervous, angry or embarrassed.
Be polite but clear. You can assert your rights without being aggressive. Asking “Why am I being searched?” is your right.
Keep your hands visible and don’t make sudden movements, run off or physically resist, even if you think the search is unfair. You can challenge it afterwards.
Record it if you feel uncomfortable. Say that you are recording, and keep a safe distance so you don’t get in the way.
Remember the details. Note the officer’s name or number, the time and the place.
If you are arrested
A search can sometimes lead to an arrest. If that happens, you have important rights.
Free legal advice
You have the right to free, independent legal advice from a solicitor at the police station. Always ask for one. It costs nothing and it doesn’t make you look guilty.
Someone told
You have the right to have someone told where you are. If you are under 18, police must contact your parent, carer or another responsible adult.
An appropriate adult
If you are under 18, an appropriate adult must be with you when police interview you or ask you to sign anything.
If you feel the search was unfair.
If you believe the search was discriminatory, aggressive or unlawful, you have the right to complain. Complaints should usually be made within 12 months.
Write it down as soon as you can: the officer’s details, the time, the place, what was said and any witnesses.
Get your search record. Keep your copy, or request it within 3 months.
Keep any evidence, such as videos, photos or messages.
Make a complaint to the police force, or through the IOPC, and get support if you need it.
London
Complain to the Met
Make a complaint about a stop and search in London online. You can complain yourself, or a parent, carer or someone you trust can complain for you.
Make a complaint →HaveringHavering Stop and Search Monitoring Group
A community group that reviews how the Met uses stop and search in Havering, including body-worn video. It welcomes members aged 17 and over.
Find out more →Every London boroughYour borough’s community monitoring group
Each London borough has a community group that scrutinises stop and search locally. Ask your council or local Safer Neighbourhood team how to get involved.
Find out more →Essex
Complain to Essex Police
Make a complaint about a stop and search anywhere in Essex, including Southend and Thurrock.
Make a complaint →Essex PoliceStop and search review panel
Members of the public review body-worn video of stop and searches across Essex. You can sign up to take part.
Find out more →Kent
Tell Kent Police about your stop and search
Share your experience of being stopped and searched in Kent and Medway, good or bad.
Give feedback →Kent Police and Crime CommissionerComplaints against Kent Police
Information on how to complain about Kent Police and how complaints are handled.
Find out more →National support
IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct)
You can make a complaint about any police force in England and Wales through the IOPC, and it will be passed to the right force.
Make a complaint →CharityStopWatch
Campaigns for fair and accountable policing and has clear guides on stop and search and strip searches.
Visit website →CharityLiberty
Free human rights legal information, including how to complain about the police.
Visit website →Drugs and the lawRelease
Free, confidential legal advice if you were searched for drugs.
020 7324 2989Visit website →For young peopleChildline
Free, confidential support for under-19s if you want to talk about what happened.
0800 1111Visit website →Sources
- GOV.UK: Police powers to stop and search, your rights
- GOV.UK: PACE Code A (2023)
- StopWatch: Strip and intimate searches factsheet
- Liberty: Police complaints
- IOPC: Make a complaint
- Havering Council: Stop and Search Monitoring Group
- Essex Police: Stop and search review panel
- Kent Police: Tell us about your stop and search
This guide gives general information about the law in England and Wales and is not legal advice. Details were checked in October 2026 and may change. If you need advice about your own situation, contact a solicitor or one of the organisations above.
