i’ve been stopped by a police officer for a welfare check, and i lied about where i work. would there be consequences?

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I_will_never_reply@reddit

It was just chat to stretch out the conversation to see if you were a threat or on drugs / not sane etc. The answers weren't important, they just wanted to check you out

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

so i shouldn’t worry about if they learnt that i lied?

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Not at all, it's not a crime to lie to a police unless it's to pervert the course of justice or similar, like if a friend asked you to say they were at your house when they weren't. I assume at this point you hadn't even had the classic Police caution where they read you your rights etc

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

i wasn’t given a reading on rights. again i guess as she noticed me being extremely nervous, she got suspicious

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I_will_never_reply@reddit

There is nothing to worry about I assure you

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

sorry for dwelling on this too much (hell she probably forgot about my existence now) but i noticed when she asked where the train station is, and i give the right direction, she insisted that it was at the other (wrong) direction

testing me i guess?

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joeChump@reddit

Your fine. Your biggest problem isn’t the police. It’s probably more like generalised anxiety disorder and thought OCD. Your mind is latched onto something that you feel is threatening. It’s trying to protect you but then it’s just going round and round because there is no answer or solution. Once she finally realised that this isn’t anything to worry about, your mind will find the next thing to focus on. How do I know this? Because I have it.

Chill my brother.

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I_will_never_reply@reddit

Yes, just probing you for the reasons above, or just didn't know where they were of course!

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joeChump@reddit

Chill.

I’ve got a mate who always makes up false names lol. One night he got caught with some drugs but got let go and gave her false name. The next week he was doing a good deed and helping a woman who was having a mental health crisis. This time he’d given his real name when calling the police. Then the same police officer turned up from the week before lol…

The cop let him off again.

Bottom line is that deal with some pretty insane shit all the time and you are probably not worth the paperwork, bruv .

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ProfessionalEven296@reddit

Should have been a short conversation about the long item.

"Where do you work?"

"Am I being detained? No? OK. Have a nice day"

Police are trained to detect liars - they work with them every day. If they think you're lying, they'll keep digging. Be polite, but don't give more information than you legally have to.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

Or you could just tell the truth and get on with your day.

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Compromisee@reddit

Exactly.

Quickest way to get detained is to act like a suspicious knobhead. People's imagination run wild with this stuff.

The dude was carrying some weird metal bar (from another comment). That's either completely fine or he's planning on beating someone with it.

Only way to find out is ask a few questions. If the person then starts acting defensive towards some very basic questions then things start to lean towards doing something dangerous with it.

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Illustrious_Sea7480@reddit

How does “carrying a tall item” result in a welfare check? How would your place of employment come in to it?

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

she noticed me holding a tall pole that could be interpreted as a baton. i explain it isn’t but due to me getting easily nervous when questioned by a police officer (i have anxiety and who doesn’t get nervous?), she asked that

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ryapowa2005@reddit

I mean, no need to be nervous unless you're feeling guilty of wrongdoing

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toxicsoup_@reddit

A little easier said than done when you've got anxiety

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GoldiBlogs@reddit

A baton? Batons aren't tall poles...

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

her words not mine

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GoldiBlogs@reddit

How strange

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

https://postimg.cc/LnVwqjsc this is the item i was holding (at the time i struggled to close it so i was holding it while it was up)

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pm_me_your_amphibian@reddit

That looks pretty batonny to be fair

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Mysterious-Joke-2266@reddit

Wtf is that. Defo looks like a batton

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chin_waghing@reddit

Yeah I can absolutely see why they thought that’s a baton.
Google “auto lock baton” and you’ll see it looks almost identical to the object on the left.

You weren’t “welfare checked” they did something called a “stop and account” where you’re basically having to account for your behaviour. It’s not a specific police power like a stop and search.

If you gave details there’s a good chance these details will be recorded, and if you ever come to police attention again you may have to explain why you lied about your place of work.

Hope that clears it up for you?

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

i asked if this is a welfare check and she said yes though?

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chin_waghing@reddit

I can’t comment on the exact wording used by the officer but it definitely would have been a stop and account. Welfare check is not really a thing. It’s an umbrella term used for many things, of which this was not one.

At the bottom of this page explains it: https://www.college.police.uk/app/stop-and-search/legal/legal-basis

Due to operational security I again can’t comment on where they put your details, but they searched you on the PNC: https://hmicfrs.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/glossary/police-national-computer/ searches are scrutinised and officers are regularly made to account for their searches. If you have any concerns around this, you can do a GDPR SAR under article 15 of the UK GDPR to get all details the police force hold on you.

I understand this would have been a stressful situation so I hope you’re okay, but view it on the flip side. What if there was someone actually walking around with an offensive weapon and they weren’t stopped by police.

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

oh okay then. so if i don’t walk around with dodgy items and not get into any trouble i should be absolutely fine. just next time be truthful?

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chin_waghing@reddit

Bingo! Honestly that pole looks like an auto lock baton

https://lapolicegear.com/monadnock-autolock-heavy-gauge-22-baton-w-power-safety-tip-foam-grip.html

So yeah stay out of trouble, and be honest next time. If you’ve got a reasonable excuse to have something it’s up to the court to decide that

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TeHNeutral@reddit

Could be a batten?

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ProgressMiserable878@reddit

No comment would have been my answer. Half nowadays don't even know the law. No harm no crime no victim means no charge.

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3Cogs@reddit

In 1999, Met Police shot a man dead who was carrying a table leg in a plastic bag, so carrying an item can result in more than a welfare check if the cops are nervous.

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ParkerR666@reddit

It won’t have been a welfare check. Same reason I was stopped and asked why I was carrying a huge ladder along a country road lol, suspicious!

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SoggyWotsits@reddit

Maybe it was a jousting pole. And OP was nude? It’s all I can come up with.

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CreativeAdeptness477@reddit

The way some folk behave just astounds me. Honestly you should feel stupid. Why would you even bother lying in that scenario?

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TooLittleGravitas@reddit

Some people get nervous when questioned by police, even if totally innocent.

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ChallengingKumquat@reddit

And those people sometimes get charged with perverting the course of justice. And frankly, they deserve to be.

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jjramrod@reddit

Shut up ya bootlicker

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3Cogs@reddit

Telling a police officer a lie when not under caution is perverting the course of justice? When was that introduced?

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Left-Ad-3412@reddit

It's not a crime to lie. They won't dig into you and they won't care

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Consistent_Lime_9089@reddit

I am so sorry to hear about your anxiety. I am sure you will be fine. I hope you can turn the pole into something useful. And do not let the bad karma people on here upset you. Getting questioned in the street by police can feel scary even when you know you have done nothing wrong!!

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Indigo-Waterfall@reddit

Why did you lie? (Just curious)

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

collapsed under pressure, so i resorted to making stuff up to end the conversation quickly as i felt extremely awkward

i actually was debating to go back and tell the truth but i felt that would make things worse

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ChallengingKumquat@reddit

collapsed under pressure, so i resorted to making stuff up to end the conversation quickly as i felt extremely awkward

In thia imstance, it sounds like it doesn't matter, as no crime taking place, but lying to the police "because you felt under pressure" is really dumb, and under different circumstances, you could be perverting the course of justice, or looking guilty when you're not. You need to sort out your nerves and learn to tell the truth under pressure. I hope for your sake you're never called to testify in court, because that'd be far more nerve-wracking than a chat with a Bobby on the beat. SMH

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Indigo-Waterfall@reddit

Why didn’t you just say where you worked though? That would abbé been easier than lying haha

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

i honestly have no idea, my brain just kind of, shut down? as weird as it sounds

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Odd_Gap_9491@reddit

They're just asking in case it's relevant later. But since nothing has occured then they're not looking for you..

I'd love to know what you were carrying that resulted in a welfare check

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

https://i.postimg.cc/8z8S0Hgz/IMG-0102.jpg this

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Odd_Gap_9491@reddit

Yeah looks like a weapon lol. What is it for?

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

it’s a flag pole. broke in half though so now it’s useless, but i’m curious on if it can be fixed somehow

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Odd_Gap_9491@reddit

Too brittle really for welding. How much is a new one?

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

portable gallows or guilotine?

or maybe Easter and a giant cross?

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Odd_Gap_9491@reddit

We've all got our cross to bear

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Significant-Key-762@reddit

Impersonating a barrister would get you in trouble. A barista - less so :)

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GoldiBlogs@reddit

My "little" sister is a barrister and judge. Asking her to make me a coffee never gets old.

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KatVanWall@reddit

I really want a photo of this tall item now! I’m picturing a grandfather clock

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

here you go https://i.postimg.cc/8z8S0Hgz/IMG-0102.jpg

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KatVanWall@reddit

aww, thanks! It doesn't look very 'tall' (banana for scale?) but reminds me of old-fashioned aerial type things, or those extendable magnets for picking up dropped screws. Maybe they thought it was a blade from a distance!

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wildflower12345678@reddit

Welfare check for carrying a large pole? Seems a bit fishy, but ok, let's run with it. You lied about where you work? Why? Why not tell the truth? Officer could potentially check at Costa and discover you lied. So what? What's she going to do? Come to your place of work and arrest you for lying to a police officer? Well you lied about that so 🤷.

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WaldenFont@reddit

This whole thread is surreal.

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JohnLennonsNotDead@reddit

Were you carrying a pole or a Pole?

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Next-Honeydew4130@reddit

Amazing if she was carrying a really tall Pole that would take a lot of muscle

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RonPalancik@reddit

Lech Walesa is 5'7"

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Oldsoldierbear@reddit

Wojtek was 6 foot and 200 kilos

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RonPalancik@reddit

That's a pretty tall Pole.

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Oldsoldierbear@reddit

Well, strictly speaking, he was Syrian, but he was adopted by the Poles.

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limakilo87@reddit

You feel guilty for lying. That is normal and correct.

The police have probably forgotten about you, but I'd be more bothered about what I was doing to attract that attention. As in, do I need to speak to somebody?

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Paulstan67@reddit

Tell them to sling their hook.

If you aren't going anything illegal (or if you are for that matter) you are not obliged to engage with the police. And you certainly don't need to tell them where you work.

They are just fishing.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

Or maybe she was just checking out something that looked suspicious?

No need to tell them to sling their hook. Why not just be honest and carry on with your day?

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Paulstan67@reddit

Ok the point is that you DONT HAVE to engage with them.

After engaging with them ,the OP is now concerned that they may get into trouble.

It they hadn't engaged then these concerns wouldn't exist.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

If they had engaged with them honestly these concerns wouldn't exist.

assuming they weren't committing a crime with their long object.

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greglikesweezer@reddit

most importantly - are you ok?

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jailbrokemasta@reddit (OP)

yeah i’m okay, a bit shaken up but that’s to be expected i guess, after all i never thought i’d be stopped by police

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Livewire____@reddit

Top tip: if you've done nothing wrong, just tell the truth.

If you're visibly nervous, then this might raise their suspicion and piptwbtially lead to a lot of unnecessary time being spent for them to satisfy themselves that you aren't suspicious, or up to no good.

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