If you don’t have your own lawyer and the police have arrested or are holding you, you can talk to a lawyer under the Police Detention Legal Assistance (or PDLA) service.
It’s free to use and there’s no minimum age.
You can talk to a PDLA lawyer when:
This might be happening at the police station, in your home, on the street, or anywhere else.
Before you answer any police questions about an offence they suspect you of, you should talk to a lawyer.
You won’t have to pay anything to speak to one of these lawyers. The service is free.
It is available to everyone whether or not they can afford their own lawyer.
The police have a list of the names and phone numbers of lawyers who are available to be contacted day or night, free of charge. Ask to see the list. You can then phone a lawyer from the list.
If you don’t ask the police for the list, they don’t have to show it to you.
Usually the lawyer will talk to you over the phone. In complicated or serious cases, the lawyer may come and see you.
You have the right to talk to the lawyer in private, whether you’re speaking over the phone or face-to-face.
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