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Supporting the 43 Home Office police forces of England and Wales, law enforcement organisations and wider criminal justice partners by providing a consistently accurate, timely and reliable online criminal law database.

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IMPORTANT: PNLD Data Breach

Official Notification

 We are continuing to investigate a data security incident affecting the Police National Legal Database (PNLD), which was identified on Sunday 26 July.

Information including the names, organisations and work email addresses of police officers, staff and other criminal justice professionals and government partners has been compromised and published on the dark web. There is currently no evidence that passwords or other security credentials have been compromised.

Unlawful restraint - not under arrest

Legal Q&A


 What might constitute an unlawful arrest? Could merely taking hold of someone and restraining them amount to an arrest?

Conviction giving of unsworn evidence in a rape case

Case Law
 In the case of R v Giscombe 2026, a conviction for rape was safe where unsworn evidence was given by mistake and the court concluded that section 56(5) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 is not restricted to cases where section 55(2) has been invoked.

In the Spotlight

Welcome to our legal feature 'In the Spotlight'

Bringing focus to a legal topic, making your professional life simpler by:

  • Demystify complex legislation
  • Improve your legal knowledge
  • Evidence continuous personal development
  • Understand how to apply the law competently

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In the Spotlight