Criminal Law

We strongly suggest you do not participate in an Electronic Record of Interview until you have spoken to us.  They police may ask you in forceful terms” “Are you refusing to participate?”.  We suggest you state you would like to speak to your lawyer first and give us a call immediately.

During a police interview, you have the right to remain silent and do not have to answer police questions. However, you must provide information regarding your name, address and date of birth. A negative inference cannot be drawn from this silence or used against you in the future. If you do decide to talk to police, it is important that a lawyer accompanies you to prevent from incrimination or providing information which can be used against you.

Yes, if you have been charged with an offence, police must provide you with the opportunity to call a friend or relative. You can ask them to be present for the duration of your police interview. However, if they interfere with the process, they will be removed. You also have the right to ask for the opportunity to telephone a lawyer. If police do not provide you with this opportunity, you have the right to delay the police interview until a lawyer can be contacted.

Under legislation, police cannot detain you for more than 8 hours, unless they have received express permission from a Magistrate or Justice of Peace. While police can detain you for a reasonable period, you cannot be interviewed for more than 4 hours.