What should I do if the police want to interview me?

Firstly you need to establish whether you are being interviewed as a witness to an offence or as a suspect. This will determine whether a ‘section 9 CJA’ witness statement will be taken from you whether the interview will be under caution and taped under the terms of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Either way a person should be careful- when an individual is questioned as a potential witness there are circumstances when that statement can be used against them if circumstances change or new material comes to light that shows that the person should be treated as a suspect or that what was said in the statement was false. The subject of interviews and the procedures to be followed are very complicated and it is utterly vital that a person who is ‘of interest’ to the police seeks legal advice. Contrary to what is often thought the police do not need to know that you sought legal advice and even if your legal representatives get in contact with them it will not make your position any worse. Almost exactly the opposite, in that failure to get legal advice can cause hug problems down the line if the correct approach is not adopted.