Stop and Search Laws in the UK: PACE, GOWISELY and Section 60 Explained

Stop and search is one of the most visible police powers in England and Wales, and it is one of the most misunderstood. In most cases an officer needs a genuine, case-specific reason before they can search you, not a hunch, a look, or a postcode. This guide explains what the law actually requires, what GOWISELY means in practice, and how the rules differ once you cross into Scotland.

Why Stop and Search Needs a Legal Basis

The core stop-and-search power in England and Wales comes from section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), read alongside PACE Code A, which sets out how officers must use it. Section 1 lets a constable search a person or vehicle in a public place for stolen articles or "prohibited articles," a category that covers offensive weapons, bladed or pointed articles, drugs, corrosives, and certain fireworks or protest-related items.

The power only exists where the officer has "reasonable grounds for suspecting" they will find one of those items, a threshold well above a hunch. Code A is explicit that reasonable suspicion can never be based on a person's race, religion, age, or appearance, nor on stereotypes about a group being more likely to offend.

Other statutory search powers exist for specific offences, such as drugs or terrorism, each with its own threshold, but section 1 and Code A remain the default framework most people encounter.

What "Reasonable Grounds" Means in Practice

Reasonable suspicion has to be based on facts, information, or intelligence specific to the individual or the circumstances, not a feeling. An officer might point to a visible bulge consistent with a weapon, a specific and credible tip-off, or behaviour fitting a genuine crime pattern in that place and time. Being in a "high crime area" alone is not enough, and neither is matching a broad description that could fit almost anyone.

The officer must be able to explain these grounds at the time and account for them later in a search record or in court. A search carried out without genuine reasonable grounds is unlawful and can expose the force to a complaint or a civil claim.

The GOWISELY Checklist: What an Officer Must Tell You

GOWISELY is not a phrase that appears in PACE Code A itself. It is a widely used police training mnemonic built around what Code A paragraph 3.8 requires an officer to tell you before carrying out a search.

• Grounds: the reason for the search, in terms you can understand.
• Object: what the officer is looking for.
• Warrant card: shown if the officer is not in uniform, or if you ask.
• Identity: the officer's name (or, in some sensitive cases, their collar or shoulder number instead) and their police station.
• Station: which police station the officer is attached to.
• Entitlement: your right to a copy of the search record, either at the time or by requesting one later using the reference number on a receipt.
• Legal power: the specific legal power being used, such as PACE s.1 or s.60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
• You are detained: a clear statement that you are being detained for the purposes of the search, and that detention ends once it is complete.

If an officer cannot or will not give you this information, that is worth noting for a later complaint, though it does not necessarily mean you should refuse to cooperate on the spot.

Suspicion-Less Searches Under Section 60

Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 works differently from section 1. It does not require reasonable suspicion about a specific individual at all. Instead, it allows a police officer of the rank of inspector or above to authorise searches of anyone within a defined locality, for a specified period, where they reasonably believe that serious violence may take place, has taken place, or that people are carrying dangerous weapons in that area.

The initial authorisation can last up to 24 hours. An officer of superintendent rank or above can extend it once, for a further 24 hours, giving a maximum of 48 hours in total. The authorisation has to specify the locality and the time period, and it must be reviewed and cannot simply be left running indefinitely.

Because it does not depend on individual suspicion, a section 60 search is a broader power than section 1, and it remains lawful only when properly authorised; the authorisation itself, not the individual encounter, is what has to meet the legal threshold.

What Can Actually Be Removed During a Search

PACE Code A also limits what can be removed in public. Under paragraph 3.5, an officer can require you to take off an outer coat, jacket, or gloves in public as part of a search. Anything beyond that, such as asking someone to remove a jumper or a T-shirt, must be done out of public view under paragraph 3.6, for example in a police van or at a nearby station.

Removing a face covering for identification purposes is a separate matter, and generally needs its own specific authorisation under section 60AA of the 1994 Act, rather than being an automatic part of every search.

Scotland: A Different Legal Framework

Scotland does not use PACE for stop and search, and the rules changed significantly with the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. Section 65 of that Act ended the practice of non-statutory "consensual" searches, where a person could in theory be searched simply because they agreed to it informally. Since then, a constable in Scotland may only search a person under an express statutory power or a warrant.

That means the reasonable-suspicion threshold in Scotland comes from whichever specific power is being used, not a single general provision like PACE s.1. Examples include the offensive-weapons search power under the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, and drugs powers under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which applies UK-wide. Do not assume the England and Wales rules, including GOWISELY or the section 60 area-authorisation model, apply in the same way north of the border.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland runs its own version of PACE, the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, which broadly mirrors the England and Wales framework but is a distinct legal instrument with its own codes of practice. Do not assume a rule that holds in England and Wales automatically holds in Northern Ireland.

If You Think a Search Was Unlawful

The safest general approach during a search you believe is unfair or unlawful is to stay calm, avoid physical resistance, and ask for the GOWISELY information if it has not been given. Physically resisting a search, even one you believe is wrong, can itself lead to an arrest for obstructing a constable, which creates a separate legal problem on top of the original dispute.

To challenge how a search was carried out, the usual routes are a formal complaint to the police force, and, if that does not resolve things, a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in England and Wales. Keep the search record or receipt reference number as evidence.

This guide covers the general legal framework, not every power or local variation, and is not a substitute for advice on a specific encounter, which a solicitor or Citizens Advice can help with. For what happens after a search leads to an arrest, see being arrested. For the separate rules on filming officers carrying out a search, see filming the police in public. For the wider picture, see the UK Criminal Law hub.