Voluntary Attendance Interviews - What You Need To Know

The most well-known part of a Police investigation is an arrest. If the Police feel they urgently need to speak with you about an allegation or incident, they may arrest you, take you to custody and interview you.

However an alternative that not many know about until they are contacted, is known as a voluntary attendance or voluntary interview. This is where the Police may wish to speak with you under caution but it is not deemed necessary to arrest you.

Instead, they may invite you attend the police station on a voluntary basis on a pre-arranged date and time for an interview under caution. This gives you an opportunity to understand the allegations against you and provide your account (should you wish to).

If you are contacted by the Police and they state that they wish to speak with you about an incident, first confirm if this will be “under caution”.

If any discussion is to be under caution, then inform the Police you wish to be legally represented. All Police Station attendances are free of charge so it is always in your best interests to be represented rather than not, no matter the incident.

We would advise you to contact our office directly where we will take your contact details, any information you have about the allegation and the Officer’s information including their name, collar number and station so that we can make arrangements for a mutually convenient appointment.

We will then meet you at the Police Station as arranged.

Upon arrival we will speak with the interviewing Officer to obtain disclosure; this will be an outline of what it is they wish to speak with you about and any evidence they may have to support their suspicion of your alleged involvement in a suspected criminal offence.

We will then have a private consultation with you to explain the disclosure, obtain your instructions and provide our advice on how to proceed with the interview.

We will be present throughout the interview and at the conclusion you will be free to leave and will not be subject to bail or any bail conditions. The Officer should contact you and us when there is an update with the investigation.

Whether you are arrested or interviewed voluntarily, whether you accept the allegations or not, you should always have a legal representative with you. It is entirely free of charge and we will be able to advise you professionally and ensure your rights are being represented at all times.

Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact a member of our team or call the office.

For more information about interviews under Caution and funding please click here.