- Wasting police time
Wasting police time is listed as a criminal offence in many Commonwealth countries.
In
England and Wales , one can be charged bypolice with the offense under Section 5(2) of theCriminal Law Act 1967 [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1967/cukpga_19670058_en_1#pt1-l1g5 C. 58] ] when one "causes any wasteful employment of the police" by "knowingly making to any person a false report" which:
*Shows that a criminal offence has been committed,
*Creates apprehension for the safety of any persons or property, or
*Indicates that they have information material to any police inquiry. The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment and/or a fine.The same applies to
Northern Ireland according to Section 5(3) of the Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/apni/1967/capni_19670018_en_1#l1g4 Chapter 18] ] .For
Scotland theHigh Court of Justiciary stated in "Kerr v. Hill" [1936 J. C. 71] that giving false information to the police constitutes a crime undercommon law [See also s. 73 of the [http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/downloads/cp_criminal_code.pdf Draft Criminal Code for Scotland] (2003), ‘Wasting the time of emergency services’] .External links
* [http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section22/chapter_a.html#26 Wasting Police Time] at the
Crown Prosecution Service official websiteReferences
----
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.