Legal issues
The rule and its limits
PACE Code C paragraph 11.1A sets the pre-interview information requirement. It applies whether or not you have a solicitor. Note 11ZA explains that sufficient information will normally include a description of the known facts, including the relevant time and place. The disclosure must still be sufficient, but details need not be disclosed at a time that might prejudice the investigation.
The investigating officer decides what information needs to be disclosed for this purpose and must record what was disclosed and when. A solicitor can question whether the information supplied meets the requirement and seek clarification. Simply describing an allegation by the name of an offence may leave important factual questions unanswered.
This guide concerns police interviews in England and Wales. For the broader service, see police station representation or advice before a voluntary interview.
Evidence that matters
Questions that help make the allegation understandable
- What conduct is alleged, and during which dates or period? If the timing is uncertain, what is the scope of that uncertainty?
- Where is the conduct said to have occurred, and what connects the suspect to it?
- Which messages, transactions, images, objects or events are the questions expected to concern?
- Has an extract been supplied without the surrounding conversation or sequence needed to understand it?
- Are there several incidents or offences, and can the officer separate them clearly?
These are targeted requests, not a promise that police must hand over every statement, exhibit or witness identity before interview. Keep the actual disclosure and a dated note of further requests and answers.
Reasonable lines of enquiry
From a gap to a focused request
Explain why a missing detail matters. If police refer to a payment but give no date or account, identifying the transaction may allow the client to locate invoices or explain the business context. If police rely on a short message, the surrounding exchange may change its meaning. A request tied to a concrete issue is more useful than asking generally for “all the evidence”.
Distinguish facts the officer has disclosed from assumptions about what the police might hold. Preserve relevant originals, including complete conversations and documents, and tell your solicitor about material at risk of loss. Do not manufacture an explanation to fill a gap in disclosure.
What happens next
Before and during questioning
The solicitor should assess the disclosure, take your instructions privately and advise on the available interview approaches. A request for further detail does not automatically cancel or postpone an interview. The advice must address the actual allegation, your account, the information available and the consequences of answering or remaining silent.
If new material or a materially different allegation appears during questioning, ask for a private consultation so the advice can be reconsidered. The solicitor can identify the change, seek clarification and request an appropriate break. A strategy decided before interview should not be treated as a script regardless of what happens.
Immediate steps
Three distinctions that prevent confusion
- Pre-interview information is not the same as full prosecution disclosure in court proceedings. Different duties and procedures apply at later stages.
- For a detained suspect, access to documents essential to challenging arrest or detention under Code C paragraph 3.4(b) is a separate issue from information about the offence before interview.
- Formal pre-charge engagement about lines of enquiry is different from the initial disclosure discussion at the police station. It needs its own advice and agreed scope.
For the third situation, see pre-charge engagement.
What should you send us?
Send the invitation, police force and officer details, interview date, alleged offence, any disclosure already supplied and the name of your current solicitor if represented. Flag relevant originals or footage at risk of loss; keep your detailed account for private legal consultation.