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Legal advice before you answer police questions.

Arrested, or invited to a voluntary interview? Theodorous criminal defence solicitors advise you before police questioning starts and attend interviews at police stations in London and across England and Wales. Call us, or ask custody staff to contact Theodorous, and we will confirm whether we can attend and what happens next.

If you are arrested or asked to attend a voluntary interview, obtain advice before the interview starts. Free independent legal advice is available at the police station, and requesting a solicitor is your right.

Request police station assistanceCall 0843 636 7687

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Your police interview preparation checklist

Choose the situation that fits, then gather the five items below if available. Missing paperwork should not delay asking for legal advice.

Download the two-page checklist pack (PDF)

Someone is in custody now

Ask custody staff for a solicitor. If contacting us for a relative, give their name, date of birth and station if known, and flag urgent welfare needs. The detained person is the client; what can be shared with family depends on consent and confidentiality.

An interview is booked

Send the invitation and officer’s contact details before the appointment. Ask us to confirm availability and arrangements with the officer. Do not assume a booking has changed or representation is arranged until this has been confirmed.

The interview has finished

The immediate issues can include bail, conditions, seized devices, property, further enquiries and evidence that should be preserved. Where appropriate, post-interview or pre-charge representations may follow.

You need additional support

Tell the solicitor and police about medication, disability, communication difficulties or an interpreter requirement. If the person is under 18 or may be vulnerable, raise the need for an appropriate adult. An appropriate adult has a different role from the solicitor.

Five things to have ready

  • 1. Appointment details: police force, station, officer, reference number and interview date or deadline.
  • 2. The allegation: what police have told you, including any incident date and location. Separate known facts from assumptions.
  • 3. Police paperwork: invitation, arrest or release documents and any bail conditions or return date.
  • 4. Evidence leads: where original messages, footage, documents or witnesses may be found. Preserve originals and tell the solicitor about material at risk of deletion.
  • 5. Support needs: medication, health concerns, language, accessibility and whether an appropriate adult may be required.
Keep your detailed account for a private discussion with your solicitor. Do not contact witnesses or a complainant to coordinate accounts, and do not alter or delete potentially relevant material. The checklist is for preparation, not a script for answering police questions.
AFTER THE INTERVIEWInterview finished? The defence work may not be finished.If no charge has been authorised, there may still be time to preserve evidence, identify reasonable lines of enquiry and assess whether focused pre-charge representations should be made.
Pre-charge representations →How pre-charge engagement works

Arrested or invited to a voluntary interview?

A police interview is an evidential stage of an investigation, not an informal conversation. What is said, what is not said, and the way an account is presented can affect the entire case. The police caution specifically warns that silence can sometimes have consequences if a fact is later relied on in court.

At a police station you have a right to free independent legal advice. A voluntary attendee is also entitled to free legal advice before interview and to have a solicitor present. Asking for a solicitor is not an admission and should not be treated as one.

Do not guess your way through an interview.

The correct interview strategy depends on the allegation, the disclosure provided by police, your instructions and the evidential position. Full comment, a prepared statement, selective answers or no comment can each be appropriate in different circumstances.

What we do at the police station

Before interview, we seek disclosure from the investigating officer, take your instructions in private and advise on the evidence and interview strategy. During interview, we monitor the questioning, protect your legal rights and intervene where necessary. Afterwards, we advise on release, bail, further enquiries and the next strategic steps.

What police must disclose before interview

Where the investigation is likely to continue, we consider whether there is useful defence material that should be preserved immediately—CCTV, messages, call logs, location data, documents or witnesses—and whether representations should be made before a charging decision.

Where we attend

We attend all Metropolitan Police and City of London Police stations and custody suites, and West Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police custody suites. Elsewhere in England and Wales we can attend by arrangement, with travel and fees agreed before we set off.

Police station solicitor in the West Midlands and Staffordshire

London custody suites we attend:

ActonBethnal GreenBexleyheathBrixtonBromleyCharing CrossColindaleCroydonFresh Wharf (Barking)HammersmithHeathrowHolbornIslingtonKingstonLewishamLeytonRomfordStoke NewingtonWalworthWembleyWood Green

Voluntary interviews

A voluntary interview is still an interview under caution. You are not under arrest and are generally free to leave, but the answers remain evidential. The fact that an appointment has been arranged in advance is an opportunity to obtain advice, understand the allegation and prepare properly rather than attending alone.

After the interview

The police may end the case, continue enquiries or refer it for a charging decision. Following arrest, release may be on pre-charge bail or under investigation. A voluntary attendee who has not been arrested cannot simply be placed on pre-charge bail. If the case continues, we can advise on release paperwork, evidence preservation, further interview requests and whether pre-charge representations are justified.

Pre-charge representationsPut defence material before the charging decision.Bail adviceConditions, extensions and investigation strategy.

CUSTODY RECORDS

What should be checked in your custody record?

For someone detained after arrest, the custody record provides a chronology of detention and welfare decisions. It is separate from the interview recording. These are the practical checks to discuss with your solicitor.

Read the full guide to obtaining and checking custody records

1. Put the events in order

Compare arrest, arrival, detention authorisation, reviews, interviews and release. Include dates where events cross midnight. Flag unexplained gaps or inconsistent times for the solicitor to investigate; the booking-in time alone is not a reliable release deadline.

2. Check advice and welfare

Check recorded requests for a solicitor, medical attention, medication, an interpreter or an appropriate adult. Tell your solicitor about anything missing, including difficulties understanding questions or being well enough to be interviewed.

3. Identify what you dispute

Identify the precise entry, its time, what you remember and any supporting material. Raise the discrepancy through your solicitor and ask for the concern to be recorded. Keep the original record unchanged; an apparent error does not by itself establish unlawful detention.

4. Ask about access and a copy

Code C allows your solicitor and appropriate adult to inspect the custody record during detention. On leaving detention or being taken before a court, you, your legal representative or appropriate adult can request a copy. The entitlement lasts 12 months after release (paragraphs 2.4–2.5).

Evidence to identify before it disappears

  • the custody record and detention review entries;
  • the disclosure actually given to your solicitor and any recorded requests for clarification;
  • the full audio/video interview recording;
  • body-worn video and footage surrounding arrest or search;
  • CCTV, doorbell footage or location evidence that may be overwritten;
  • messages, call logs and contemporaneous communications;
  • medical evidence, photographs and witness details;
  • search records, seizure schedules and device references.
Sources and scope: England and Wales, ordinary police detention. Source checked 12 October 2026: PACE Code C 2023, paragraphs 2.4–2.5, section 6 and paragraph 11.1A. Different codes apply to certain specialist detention regimes. This page gives general information; advice depends on the case.
PACE Code C: custody records, legal advice and interviews

Practical help · London

Find the right police station before you travel

Use the police force’s own finder to check a station or public contact point. If you have an interview appointment or are enquiring about someone in custody, confirm the exact location with the officer or custody team first. The nearest public counter may not be the place you need.

Public counter, interview appointment or custody enquiry?

These are different reasons for attending. A listing for a public counter does not confirm where someone is detained, where your interview will take place or whether visitors can attend. Check any opening-hours or closure notices on the official site and confirm arrangements before travelling.

Four details to confirm before an interview appointment

  1. Location: the station name, full address and entrance or reception point.
  2. Appointment: the date, time and name or contact details of the officer expecting you.
  3. Reference: the case or appointment reference shown on your letter or message.
  4. Legal advice: arrangements for speaking privately with a solicitor before the interview.

If you need advice about attending, call Theodorous on 0843 636 7687. Have the appointment details available when you contact us.

Prepare with our guide to police disclosure before interview and guide to accessing and reviewing a custody record.

Official finder links checked 13 October 2026. Station opening hours and custody locations are not independently verified here. Theodorous is independent of the police.

Before interview

Get advice before the recording starts.

For a booked interview, send the date and time, police station, allegation and officer’s contact details. We will check availability and explain the next step. If the interview is imminent, call us. A website enquiry alone does not confirm that a solicitor has been instructed.

Request assistance

Frequently asked questions

Police station representation FAQs

Is a solicitor at the police station free?

Legal advice and representation at the police station is generally free and independent of the police under the criminal Legal Aid scheme, regardless of income. Funding for later court proceedings is a separate question.

Should I attend a voluntary interview without a solicitor?

Arrange legal advice before attending. A voluntary police interview is still an interview under caution, and answers may be used in evidence. You are entitled to free independent legal advice in the police-station interview process and to have a solicitor present. If you have been asked to attend in London or elsewhere, provide the officer's name, station, proposed date and allegation so that representation and appropriate pre-interview disclosure can be discussed. Do not simply ignore the invitation: police may consider arrest if lawful necessity grounds arise.

Does asking for a solicitor make me look guilty?

No. Requesting legal advice is a legal right. It is not an admission and should not be treated as evidence of guilt.

Should I answer every police question?

That depends on the evidence disclosed, the allegation, your account and the risks created by silence or by answering. The correct interview strategy may be full comment, no comment or a prepared statement with selective answers. It should be decided after legal advice, not guessed in the interview room.

What disclosure should my solicitor receive before interview?

PACE Code C requires sufficient information about the offence and why you are suspected to allow you to understand the allegation and exercise your defence rights. That is not an automatic entitlement to every witness statement, recording or item of unused material before interview. Your solicitor can ask focused questions about the incident, dates, key evidence and any new allegation, then advise whether answering questions, making a prepared statement or another approach is appropriate.

Can I speak to a solicitor before I go to the station?

Yes. In a planned voluntary interview, early contact allows the solicitor to liaise with the officer, obtain preliminary disclosure where possible, discuss the allegation and identify evidence that should be preserved before attendance.