Ah, September. The time of year when children head back to school. In the Lower Mainland of BC in particular this is a special time of year as students head back to university. And many new university students move into the Lower Mainland from around the world. It’s a special time of year. You can almost smell the alcohol fumes and poor decisions as they waft off the post-secondary campuses.
But in all seriousness, the new freedom enjoyed by your children as they head off to university can also come with some problems. Everyone makes mistakes. We understand that better than most lawyers. The last thing we want for our clients is for one mistake made as a young adult to destroy their entire lives. That is why every parent should teach their children the important basics of what to do if they encounter the police. So it’s time for a lesson regarding what you should be teaching your children about how to protect themselves from the police.
Lesson Number One: Don’t trust the police
This should also be lesson two and three. And lesson four for good measure. Trust us, it bears repeating. If you are under investigation for a criminal offence, you’d better believe that the police are not your friends. They are never trying to help you. They are never trying to prove that you are innocent.
It’s not that we don’t like police officers. It’s not that we think they are generally bad people. It’s that police officers have a job to do and their only interest is doing it. Unfortunately for you, their job is proving that you committed a criminal offence. Assuming that they will not do their jobs is a foolish mistake.
Lesson Number Two: Some things you hear on TV are true
But that is generally limited to the oft-quoted statement “anything you say can and will be used against you.” Which brings us to lesson number three.
Lesson Number Three: Shut up
You are under no obligation to talk to the police. And if you do talk to the police you are making a foolish mistake. Remember lesson two? Nothing you say to them will ever help you. You may think you can talk yourself out of a situation. You can’t. You may be innocent and believe that you can explain what happened and be on your way. You can’t. Aside from your identification information, the only thing that you should ever say to the police is that you want to call a lawyer. (Our number is 24 hours for cases like this).
Giving a statement doesn’t just mean putting something in writing. The words you say to a police officer are evidence. And they will be used as evidence against you, later on, to prove that you committed a criminal offence. Most police and RCMP detachments are also audio and video recorded, so there is often a record of everything you say or do.
Lesson Number Four: Call a lawyer
Calling a lawyer is the smartest thing you can do if you are being investigated by police. We handle many criminal investigations and in many cases are able to deal with them without our clients being criminally charged. You should not worry that asking for a lawyer will make your situation worse: you have a right to call a lawyer. You can and should exercise that right if you are detained by police. Our number is 24 hours for people dealing with emergency situations.
Lesson Number Five: If the police ask you to come in for a talk, just say no
And then call a lawyer.
The police never want to talk to you for the purpose of sorting something out or getting your side of the story. If they are calling you to come in and speak with them, you should be on red alert. You are most likely being investigated for a criminal offence. You will only ever make your situation worse by going to a police station and speaking with the police.
Just say no.
And remember the most important lesson: don’t trust the police. They will lie to you to get what they want. They’re allowed to lie to you to extract information. It’s considered part of their job.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the short yet very important course in what you should be teaching your children about the police. Now go forth and educate. It’s your duty to teach your children how to protect themselves from the police.