The College of Policing he a guide on how police should behe when they stop and search people. It says that the police must search you in accordance with ‘GOWISELY’.
What’s GOWISELY?GOWISELY is an acronym – each letter stands for your rights if you’re stopped and searched. The stop and search is unlawful if the police do not provide you with information about one or more of these components.
G: Grounds for suspicion. For suspicion-based searches, the police must clearly explain the basis for their reasonable suspicion.
O: Object of the search. The police must clearly explain what they are looking for.
W: Warrant card. The police must show you this if you ask for it, or if they aren’t wearing a uniform.
I: Identity of the police officer or officers. The police officers involved in stopping and searching you must give you their name and shoulder number.
S: Station. The police must tell you which police station they work at.
E: Entitlement to a search record. The police must provide you with a copy of the search record or, if this is not practicable, provide information on how you can get a copy.
L: Legal power used. The police must tell you what legal power they are using to stop and search you.
Y: ‘You are detained for the purposes of a search’. The police must tell you this. ‘Detained’ means you are not free to lee until they tell you.