Tips for Smart Cops Series
Warrant Cards

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1. A police officer shall carry his warrant card with him at all times provided his intended activities are compatible with its safekeeping.

2. When dealing with members of the public, a police officer in plain-clothes, whether on duty or off duty, shall identify himself and produce his warrant card when exercising his police powers.

3. Uniformed police officers should produce their warrant cards upon request by members of the public, except under the following three situations:

* "The circumstances do not allow" its production;

* "To do so would prejudice police action and/or the safety of the officers concerned", and

* "The request is unreasonable".

4. If a police officer in uniform is unable to produce his warrant card at the time of the request in the first or second situations mentioned above, he should produce the warrant card at the earliest opportune moment thereafter.

5. Where police officers do not produce their warrant cards, either because the request for production is unreasonable or it cannot be subsequently complied with, they must record the reasons in the police notebook.

6. Where a party of uniformed police officers are conducting an operation, for example during a licensing raid, only one of the uniformed officers present shall produce his warrant card on request.

(This column is contributed by the Complaints and Internal Investigations Branch)