Is it an offence to refuse to give name/details to police officer when requested when they are directing you to leave an authorised area under dispersal powers?
A.The Act does not require the police officer to get the persons name/details when asking people to leave the area therefore it is not an offence to refuse to provide this. Furthermore, a person is not committing an offence by being in the area, the offence is committed if the person does not leave the area when directed to do so by the police and they are then entitled to take down their name and address. If a person claims to live within the authorised area, the police officer would need details to confirm this is the case therefore it could be an offence to refuse to provide these details in this type of situation.
