Legal issues

It’s likely that the laws in the UK will have some differences to the laws in your country. Equally, if you travel to another country – they’ll have different laws again. Not knowing that something is against the law is no excuse for breaking it. 

It’s very rare for international students to have serious problems with the law but, just in case, here are some things that you should know. 

The police have the right to stop and search anyone they believe is behaving in a suspicious way. If you’re approached by the police be polite and answer any questions truthfully. Don’t try to bribe them. A police officer who doesn’t wear a uniform (plainclothes) should always show you their ID – if not, then you can ask to see it.  

If you’re arrested or have witnessed a crime, you’ll be asked to make a statement to the police. If this happens, you’ll tell your story to a police officer, who may ask many questions in order to make the statement exact. Once this is all written down, you’ll be asked to sign it and say that it is accurate. You must never sign a document if you don’t understand it.