Factsheet: Police searches

To do any search police must have a ‘reasonable suspicion’ that you have on you drugs, a stolen or dangerous item or something else you’ve used or intend to use to commit a criminal offence.

If you consent to a search, police don’t need to show that they had ‘reasonable suspicion’. You do not have to consent to a search. If you don’t consent, it’s a good idea to say ‘I don’t consent to this search’ or something similar.