Impersonating a police officer: intent to deceive?

• Offences and associated case law regarding the impersonation of police officers, special constables etc.

During the course of the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s murderer to a whole-life term of imprisonment, one of the factors to emerge was that he had used his warrant card to facilitate the detention and abduction of his victim. At the time that he committed his heinous crimes, the defendant was a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police Force. The warrant card which he possessed was therefore a valid form of ID common to all police officers in England and Wales.

It is worth noting, however, that there is a small collection of offences on the statute book which relate to matters such as impersonating a police officer. In the discussion which follows, they will be considered, along with the associated case law.

The offences

Section 90

Section 90 of the Police Act 1996 (PA 1996) is the latest