Police Law

Members of 7 Bedford Row have been instructed both for and against police forces and individual officers, in all aspects of police law work. Our expertise includes civil jury trials, employment tribunals, inquests, public inquiries, and disciplinary and judicial review proceedings. We also advise in relation to investigations conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

We represented a number of police officers in the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie. Recently, we acted for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in both the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal in the judicial review proceedings brought by Brian Haw, who has maintained a long standing protest in Parliament Square (R v Secretary of State for the Home Department & The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis exp Haw).

We frequently advise the police on policy matters especially in relation to the policing of demonstrations, data protection and the use of information. We appeared in the Bichard Inquiry which considered the efficacy of intelligence-based record keeping and information sharing between agencies. We are often instructed in relation to cash seizures under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, applications for Sexual Offences Prevention Orders and the full range of banning orders.