PLOD - Police Law On Demand

The PLOD podcasts (Police Law on Demand) have been created by solicitors from 3D Solicitors in conversation with barristers from Serjeants’ Inn Chambers, bringing their extensive experience in advising police officers to an engaging, relevant and informative series of discussions about legal decisions, legislation and regulations affecting those involved in policing. From stop and search powers to relationships at work, our content will help officers of all ranks, and anyone with an interest in police law, stay up to date on the latest changes and trends in criminal justice and policing.

S7E5: Command of Armed Operations – Part 2

In the second part of this podcast, Deborah Britstone of 3D Solicitors and John Beggs KC of Serjeants Inn Chambers continue their exploration of the expectations of those in command of armed operations including pre-strike considerations and post-incident imperatives.

12-22
21:38

S7E4: Command of Armed Police Operations – Part 1

In this first part of a two-part podcast, Deborah Britstone of 3D Solicitors and John Beggs KC of Serjeants Inn Chambers discuss the command of police operations. In this first episode, they discuss the key considerations in planning and commanding armed operations and the main vulnerabilities of police commanders in any subsequent legal proceedings.

12-22
16:23

S7E3: Sharing opinions – when is it wrong for a regulator to interfere with an individual's right to express their opinions and beliefs?

A psychologist, was accused of misconduct having retweeted and commented on social media posts which were critical of or disagreed with the Government's approach the Covid-19 pandemic. In light of this case, Daniel Berke and Mark Harries KC examine when a regulator may go too far in trying to limit the exercise of free speech and beliefs, and when it is appropriate to intervene.

10-30
41:02

S7E2: The 10 rules for being a successful police witness

Dijen Basu KC and Daniel Berke discuss how police officers can be more effective as witnesses in court, giving vital tips and insights on how to prepare and present evidence.

10-23
35:54

S7E1: Expert Evidence in Police Misconduct Cases

Deborah Britstone of 3D Solicitors and Alexander dos Santos of Serjeants Inn Chambers discuss the presentation of expert evidence in police misconduct cases and when it might be appropriate to ask a Panel to consider hearing the expert evidence concurrently, known as 'hot-tubbing'.

10-16
13:16

S6E8 - Can understanding personalities improve how police forces deliver services?

Ashley Boroda www.ashleyboroda.com is an expert in connectivity. He advises police forces and other organisations on how to understand differences in people and their key characteristics to ensure that the right people are in the right roles to ensure the best provision of services and to avoid costly errors. Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors met with Ashley to discuss his trailblazing ideas.

10-03
32:50

S6E7 - Reasonable expectation of privacy pre-charge

Daniel Berke and Aaron Rathmell discuss a Supreme Court Judgement in ZXC v Bloomberg which held that, in general, a person under criminal investigation has, prior to being charged, a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of information that relates to that specific investigation.

07-25
20:16

S6E6 - Relationships in the workplace for police officers

Daniel Berke and James Berry discuss guidance on workplace relationships when relationships should be declared, managing potential conflicts of interest, and the risk of disciplinary proceedings if guidance is not followed.

07-11
16:23

S6E5 - When must police forces refer complaints to the Independent Office for Police Conduct

or Police Conduct – the IOPC - when the complaints engage certain mandatory criteria. Daniel Berke and Cecily White discuss the 2021 case of R (Rose) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.

07-04
19:16

S6E4 - The investigative duty and 'historic' allegations

Frances McClenaghan and Deborah Britstone discuss the Supreme Court decision in Northern Ireland No 1,2 and 3 and the Human Rights Act 1998. The Supreme Court provided guidance on three key matters: the extent to which the investigative duty under Article 2/3 of the ECHR is engaged in pre-commencement deaths, when new evidence revives the investigative obligation and how the court assesses the independence of investigations.

06-27
10:39

S6E3 - Policing Twitter – update on Miller v College of Policing

Introduction: This is an update to Season 4 Episode 1. George Thomas and Deborah Britstone discuss updates in R (Miller) v College of Policing [2020] EWHC 225 (Admin), the case concerns tweets, posted by Mr Miller, considered to be offensive to transgender persons. Following police intervention, Mr Miller bought a claim for judicial review claiming the police actions were contrary to his right of freedom of expression at common law and amounted to an unlawful interference under his rig...

06-21
13:43

S6E2 - Can police officers make complaints about other officers?

Can police officers make complaints about officers? Can they raise conduct issues and what protections do they have as whistle-blowers? Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors and Elliot Gold of Serjeants' Inn Chambers discuss these questions arising from a recent article in the Telegraph.

06-13
16:31

S6E1 - Child Protection Enquiries and s47 Children Act 1989

Deborah Britstone of 3D Solicitors and Joanne Kane of Serjeants Inn Chambers discuss the role of the police in enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and the issues associated with this legislation in the policing context.

06-06
21:11

S5E7 - Giving effective evidence – A guide for officers

Giving evidence can be intimidating and worrying. Daniel Berke met with Gerry Boyle QC to discuss the circumstances in which police officers may be required to give evidence and to talk through tips and thoughts on how evidence can be given clearly, effectively, and helpfully in courts, inquests, and tribunals.

10-18
29:42

S5E6 - It’s not the act, it’s the cover up – Honesty and Professional Discipline

Honesty and integrity are traits that underpin the professions and the police. Professionals know that acts of dishonesty will almost always result in being barred from their profession by their regulator – this is particularly so within the legal and justice professions. Mark Harries QC and solicitor Daniel Berke discuss the case of Claire Matthews, a solicitor who was struck off for an alleged cover-up of loss of documents and the basis for her appeal.

10-11
24:58

S5E5 - Private Bigotry, Public Discipline

Lauren Maires from 3D Solicitors and Dijen Basu QC discuss the case of a group of police officers who exchanged sexist, degrading, racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and disability-mocking messages while off off-duty in a WhatsApp group chat. They also posted crime scene photographs of their current investigations. No crime was committed in posting those messages and photos. The case came down to the question, was the WhatsApp group chat a private matter for the officers taking part, or could t...

10-04
14:42

S5E4 - Discriminatory behaviour, misconduct charges and police misconduct hearings

Barrister Elliot Gold met with Lauren Maires of 3D Solicitors to discuss recent High Court cases concerning misconduct proceedings within the Police arising from allegations of discriminatory behaviour.

09-27
23:30

S5E3 - The use of Taser and the Dalian Atkinson case

In this podcast, Deborah Britstone of 3D Solicitors and Hannah Hinton of Serjeants Inn Chambers discuss the recent trial of Benjamin Monk, who was convicted by a jury of the manslaughter of Dalian Atkinson. The podcast also covers the recent IOPC report on Taser use and the response of the NPCC to that report.

09-20
13:28

S5E2 - Statutory Public Inquiries & Salmon Letters

Receiving a letter to say that you may need to give evidence or provide evidence to a statutory public inquiry can be daunting for police officers – even more so if you risk facing criticism. Lawyers Daniel Berke and Alex dos Santos discuss how inquiries operate, the rules for inquiries, what it means to be a core participant and what to do if you receive a Salmon letter.

09-10
16:03

S5E1 - Prayers, Pickets and Protests

Daniel Berke and George Thomas discuss the different powers contained in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to limit or prevent protests that have contained a strong religious or moral element and look at the extent to which courts are prepared to sanction the use of these powers in relation to types of activities that perhaps would not immediately spring to mind when the words ‘anti-social behaviour’ are heard.

09-06
24:54

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