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Frequently asked questions by members of the public. 6. Do I need a Solicitor at Court? Can I get Legal aid ? The answer to the first question is invariably yes. The Court, can depending on the case, potentially send you to prison. Most criminal solicitors will, if you contact them, advise whether or not you will be eligible for legal aid. If not, you may have to pay privately. In both cases they will advise you when the evidence is received from the prosecuting authority of the strength of that evidence. They will discuss with you, your explanation, if any and advise you on the appropriate plea and likely sentence. It is generally better to instruct a solicitor as quickly as you can. If the matter goes to the Crown Court he may instruct a Barrister or Higher Court advocate to advise on your case further and to undertake the advocacy in court. 7. I have just been bailed by the police. What does Bail mean? What is a release under investigation? There is a good explanation here with regard to bail. A release under investigation is where you are released by the police without a obligation to return to the police station. The investigation and evidence gathering by the police is however still ongoing. You should note that a release under investigation is not an end to the matter. You may be summonsed to court by the police, asked to reattend a police station voluntarily to be further interviewed or re-arrested. It is vital if you change address or contact details that your new details are given to the police officer investigating your case otherwise you may be summonsed to court without your knowledge or the police may put out a warrant for your arrest. You must not, if you are released under investigation do nothing that may jeopardise the police investigation of you. If you do you can be arrested again. 8. What powers do the police have to search me, my property or enter my home? How can they exercise these powers? This is a huge topic and a book by itself. It is always better to get specific legal advice from a solicitor about your specific situation. The list below does not claim to be comprehensive and you should seek legal advice from a competent solicitor. For instance Searches of premises can be authorized by a search warrant issued under section 8 of PACE 1984 for evidence of indictable offences section 26 of the Theft Act 1968 for stolen property section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 for controlled drugs schedule 5, paragraph 1 and 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for evidence relating to terrorism They may also be authorized under Section 17 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to: ·       execute an arrest warrant, arrest or recapture a person on any premises ·       save life and limb or prevent serious damage to property. or Section 18 of PACE where there is authority to enter and search the premises occupied or controlled by a suspect who has been arrested for an indictable offence. or Section 32 of PACE where there is authority To search an arrested person where the person has been arrested at a place other than a police station. If the offence is indictable, they can also enter and search any premises that the suspect was in at the time of their arrest, or immediately before arrest, for evidence. Powers to stop and search a person Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Section 1(2)(a) of PACE provides police officers with the power to stop and search any person, vehicle, or anything which is in or on a vehicle, for stolen or prohibited articles, points and blades, or fireworks. Prohibited articles include offensive weapons and articles with which a person is going equipped to steal or cause criminal damage. Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Section 23(2) of the MDA provides that a constable may search a person suspected of being in possession of a controlled drug and detain them for the purpose of the search. They may also search any vehicle or vessel in which they suspect the drug may be found, and can require the person in control of the vehicle or vessel to stop it for that purpose. Other stop and search powers Other powers which apply in specified circumstances include: section 47 Firearms Act 1968 section 7 Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 section 4 Crossbows Act 1987 section 2 Poaching Prevention Act 1862 section 12 Deer Act 1991 section 11 Protection of Badgers Act 1992 section 19 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 section 139B Criminal Justice Act 1988 The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 This article is written by Robert Cashman, a practicing criminal solicitor with a national firm of Criminal Solicitors. It does not purport to be a exact statement of English law but for guidance only and you should always get independent legal advice about your specific situation. Robert can be contacted via https://www.policestationagent.com/

Frequently Asked Questions by Members of the Public - Part 1 1, Do I need a Solicitor? Yes you do. Please see below:- 2. Can I get police station representation free? Yes. See below. 3. I have been arrested and want to get in contact with the investigating officer. How do I do that? If you have been arrested and released from the police station you need to find out the name and warrant number of the investigating officer. This will generally be on any paperwork that you were given by the police when you are released. If you ring 101 with the name and warrant number of the investigating officer and ask for the police force where you were dealt with you will generally be able to leave a message for the officer. Please note that most police officers work shifts and may not be at work. Leave your details and telephone number and generally the police officer will get back to you. Be polite and kind! These calls are routinely recorded by the police as a matter of routine, 4. I need to get my mobile phone/property back from the police. How do I do that? If you have been arrested the police may well have seized your property as an exhibit. In the case of a mobile phone they may wish to download the contents of the mobile phone for evidential purposes. They may have requested the PIN number for the phone from you. Police have powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act to seize these items and to keep them till any court case. There is no formal time limit. Officers will, however, return items as soon as possible if they are no longer needed. Please note this can be after a considerable period of time. In some police areas there are considerable delays in downloading the contents of mobile phones ranging in months. Please note the police can not be forced to give these items back quickly. It is possible to make an application to the Magistrates Court to get these items back but this is not covered by legal aid and you would have to pay for any representation by a solicitor. 5. My friend/partner/colleague/family member has been arrested. How do I find out about the case? If the person who has been arrested is over 18 the police do not have to tell you anything about what has happened; why he/she has been arrested or details about the case. When arrested and being booked into custody the police will inform the detainee that he has a right to have someone informed of his arrest. This right will usually be exercised when they tell the person concerned which police station he is in. You can ask the police if he is legally represented and the details of the solicitor. The solicitor may be able to give you details of the case but ONLY if the person detained consents in advance. If the person does not consent you will have to ask the person concerned the details when he is released from police custody. This article is written by Robert Cashman, a practicing criminal solicitor with a national firm of Criminal Solicitors. It does not purport to be a exact statement of English law but for guidance only and you should always get independent legal advice about your specific situation. Robert can be contacted via https://www.policestationagent.com/

A Duty Solicitor is A Criminal Solicitor - independent of the Police or the Crown Prosecution Service who provides free legal advice and representation at Police Stations or Magistrates Court to people suspected or charged with a a criminal offence. 2. Usually works for a Criminal Solicitor's firm within the local area. The firm will be contracted by the Legal Aid Agency to provide those services at local courts and police stations at times and dates specified on a duty rota. Anyone who asks for legal advice assistance or representation during those times can request the services of the Duty Solicitor (subject to certain exceptions) 3. Is fully independent of both the police and the court service. Is duty bound to provide the best independent legal advice and assistance and representation to their particular client. (Note it is a common fallacy that if you ask for the Duty Solicitor they are working with the Police - they do not and incidentally most Criminal Firms who do private work have Duty Solicitors as well) 4. Will be Legally qualified and experts in Criminal Law. To be a police station duty solicitor will have passed a qualifying exam, a practical police station assessment and passed a portfolio assessment of at least 9 police stations. To be a Magistrates Court Duty Solicitor will have passed an advocacy test and a portfolio assessment. 5. Will be extremely experienced and may also have further qualifications in Criminal law - Could also be a Higher Court Advocate - qualified to represent clients in the Crown Court. Most solicitors will have a law degree and done two years training in a law firm and at least have one years practical experience on top before they become a duty solicitor. 6. Will be committed to social justice and what they do. Most Criminal Solicitors are not fat cats" and most earn less that £40,000 per year if that. This is for a 7 day week 24 hour a day job. It is a sad fact that your plumber will proabably earn three times the rate they do. The author of this article is Robert Cashman, a Criminal Solicitor and Higher Court Advocate who maintains the Police Station Agent website. He may be contacted on (07535) 494446. Robert practices in Kent Court and Police Stations on a daily basis for Police Station Agent and a major national criminal solicitors practice.

They May Want To Arrest Me? What Should I Do? Quite often Criminal Solicitors or Police Station Representatives are contacted by members of the public stating that the police have contacted them and that the Police may be looking for them. What should you do if you are in that situation? See our handy list below: (1) Don't Panic! Quite often the Police will contact people for purely routine reasons. You could a witness to a car accident, they may be making routine enquiries about a missing person. Your car may have been stolen or you may have some important information to give. Do not automatically assume that they have contacted you becasue they want to arrest you but if you think that they might want to.... go to No 2 below. (2) Obtain the Officers Name and Badge Number Most Police Officers conduct theiir own investigations. Often the only other person who will know about their investigation is their direct line supervisor. Ringing 101 will often not produce the desired result. The operator will often tell you that without details of the police officer concerned it will be impossible to find out whether you are wanted. Sometimes by presenting yourself at the police station and giving your name and address and date of birth the front desk officer is able to check the position by doing a Police National Computer check. However you may be wanted and a marker * may not be on on the Police National Computer yet. (* A marker is a mark on the police national computer stating that you should be arrested if the police come into contact with you.) (3) Contact a criminal solicitors firm, criminal solicitor or accredited police station representative Police station legal advice and assistance is free for all potential criminal offences where the investigating officer is a police officer. Contacting a criminal solicitor, accredited police station representative or criminal solicitors firm will mean that a representative will be able to contact the police on your behalf and potentially avoid the police arresting you where you could be extremely embarrassed i.e. at work, at an inconvenient time i.e. 3 a.m. in the morning or in an unnecessary situation i.e. when it can be arranged for you to come in to the police station by appointment and interviewed voluntarily. Having a legal representative acting on your behalf will mean that you may well be able to get disclosure of the case against you before you go to the police station. At the very least a legal representative has a duty to act in your own best interests and will do his utmost to discover the case against you from the police prior to your interview. He will be able to advise you as to your legal rights and what is the best thing to do or not to do in the interview in order to put yourself in the best legal position that is possible. Legal advice and assistance at the police station by criminal solicitors and accredited police Station Representatives who hold the necessary qualification and whose firm has a contract with the legal aid agency is entirely free. The police will often advise you that you "don't need a solicitor". They just want "a little chat". Be warned. Anything that you say to the police can and may be used against you in a court of law. For Representation at a Kent Police Station - 07535 494446

One of the most common things I am asked as a police station rep (albeit I am also a Criminal Solicitor) is what could a solicitor possibly do for me, if I am arrested for a criminal offence and taken to a Police Station? I answer always with one word: That word is disclosure! If you do not have the assistance of a police station representative/police station agent or criminal solicitor at the police station you will not have the benefit of knowing any part of the police case against you (or the possible strength or weakness of it) prior to your police interview. A police station agent or representative's job is to gather all the available information he can prior to the interview and advise you on the strength or weakness of the police's case. A competent police station agent representative will on arrival at the police station where you are detained immediately ask for and minutely examine your custody record (the police must keep a record of all the things that have happened to you when you were brought into custody and before). This will contain things like details of the property you had with you; what briefly you are alleged to have said or done; what time you were arrested and what for and many other details. Following scrutiny of the custody record significant details of the case against you may be revealed. The police station agent or representative will then ask the officer in charge of your case what evidence the police have got against you? Whilst the police do not have to tell your representative every single fact in their possession (and many try to disclose as little as possible) they will often give your police station representative or agent significant details of the case against you. Quite often the police station agent or representative will be able to find out if any actual witness statements have been given to the police by important witnesses! The lack of a important witness statement could mean that the police have in effect no evidence against you other than what you say in your interview. A police station agent or representative will therefore be in a position to advise you as to whether it is in your interests to answer police questions or not in interview. He or she will also be in a position pre-interview to advise you of the strength of the case against you and give you appropriate advice. In many cases asking for a police station representative before interview could make the difference between conviction and acquittal ; charge or release without charge. Police station representation is free to anyone arrested or interviewed under caution by a police officer in England and Wales. If you need it in the Kent area call police station agent on 07535 494446

From Police Station Agent: The Police Caution is: "You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you may later rely on in Court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence" What does it actually mean? Well. The first bit is quite straightforward. You do not have to say anything. Other than giving the police your name and address i..e. enough details to identify yourself you are not actually obliged to say anything to the Police hence the words "You do not have to say anything. You can be silent, reply "No comment" or give an explanation. Its down to you. Get advice from someone like police station agent! The last bit is also straight forward and is especially important if you do give an explanation. "Anything you do say can be given in evidence". This means that anything you do say can be given in evidence to a court. Beware there is no such thing as a "off the record" chat with a Police officer or anyone who gives you that caution. There are many people in Prison today who decided to try and tell a investigating officer of some fact off the record. That fact can and will be given in evidence. The confusing bit is the middle for most people. "It may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in Court." Well what does that mean? Police station agent states: "In essence if you later rely on a fact, eg "I wasn't there. I was at X's" at the time of the crime and do not mention it when questioned later on in the police station in a properly valid police interview it can harm your defence. i.e. The Court may think you are lying when you tell them later on in Court and it can damage your case. " Therefore You need a Solicitor in the Police Station. Its free for everyone who is going to be interviewed by the Police. Ask for Legal advice if you are going to be interviewed. Its free and the Police must arrange it. If you or your practice need the services of a Criminal Solicitor representing your Client at the Police Station Call Police Station Agent on 07535 494446 Police station agent - police station reps who you can trust. (C) Police Station Agent 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Police Station Representation – Do You Need It? Police station representation - By Police Station Agent - Police Station Reps Will I need it? I have just been invited in by the Police for a chat? (1). The short answer is Yes. Here’s why? (a) You are a suspect in a Criminal Case. The Police must arrest a person when they  have reasonable  grounds to suspect a person’s involvement or suspected involvement or attempted involvement in the commission of a criminal offence; AND they have reasonable grounds for believing that the person’s arrest is “necessary.” The arrest must be necessary for one of the 9 reasons mentioned below:- a) to enable the name (and address) of the person in question to be ascertained (in the case where the constable does not know, and cannot readily ascertain, the person’s name, or has reasonable grounds for doubting whether a name given by the person as his name is his real name); (b) … ; (c) to prevent the person in question- (i) causing physical injury to himself or any other person; (ii) suffering physical injury; (iii) causing loss of or damage to property; (iv) committing an offence against public decency (subject to subsection (6)); or (v) causing an unlawful obstruction of the highway; (d) to protect a child or other vulnerable person from the person in question; (e) to allow the prompt and effective investigation of the offence or of the conduct of the person in question; (f) to prevent any prosecution for the offence from being hindered by the disappearance of the person in question. (b) The outcome of the case could have a dramatic effect on your career and/or your life in the near future. If the Police or Crown Prosecution service believe that you have committed a Criminal offence there is a whole array of disposals that could apply to your case. Some of the options include a fixed penalty, a Caution (warning) if you are an adult, a charge (a direction that you must appear at court to answer an allegation on a specific date) or you may be charged and remanded to appear at the next available court. If you are a Youth the options are even more varied. Utilising free Police station representation and being legally represented at the Police Station by someone like police station agent and their solicitors and accredited police station representatives , can assist you through the minefield of possible disposals and the best way to deal with your case. (c) It’s Free! In England and Wales, there is no charge for Legal Representation at the Police Station. Police station representation is  free and provided by the Legal Aid Agency. The Police must obtain a solicitor to represent you if you so request.  You can have your own solicitor if he deals with criminal cases or a duty solicitor all of whom can be provided by police station agent. The Solicitor must and will be independent of the Police. All requests for a Solicitor go through the duty call centre. If you wish you can pay for your own solicitor. (d) You need Independent advice The Police are not Solicitors. Their function is to uphold the law. They owe no duty to you to advise you how best to deal with the situation you may find yourself in, in a police station. A Solicitor such as one like police station agent is independent and must always act in their client’s best interests. What Happens If I Am Invited In By Police For A Chat? (a) There is no such thing as being invited in by police for a chat! If you are asked to attend a police station to be interviewed with regard to a matter you are a suspect. You can be asked to attend a police station voluntarily. As such, if you agree, the necessity conditions to arrest you may not apply and as such the police may decide not to arrest you. You are still a Suspect! You can still be Charged! There is no such thing as a Chat! You need Legal Advice. It is still free and we strongly advise you to ask the police to arrange it. They must do so. Police station agent is a police station agency that provides freelance police station representatives and criminal solicitors to criminal solicitor practices to represent their clients at police stations. If you need police station representation in Kent Contact police station agent on 01732 247427 Now!

So you have received a phone call from the Police after that unfortunate incident last week? They want to have a little chat? Would you mind coming down to the police station on Thursday at 10.a.m....Just to get your side of the story..You ask? Do I need a Lawyer? Matter for you?..They say? Its only a voluntary interview? What should you do? You ask your friends and family. None of them quite know what is a voluntary interview? You ask members of your family? Surely if you were in trouble the Police would arrest you? Relieved! You turn up on the day...How wrong you were! What is a voluntary interview? A voluntary interview is where a police officer asks you to attend at a police station to be interviewed about a criminal offence. The first thing to realise is that your ARE a SUSPECT for that Criminal offence. Due to recent changes in the Criminal Law the police can only now arrest you for a criminal offence if they can show that it is necessary to do so i.e. to secure or preserve evidence or due to the fact that you will not attend the police station so that you can be interviewed voluntarily. A voluntary interview has the same status in law as one that has been conducted when you are under arrest. You have a free right to legal advice ! and the police must offer it to you at the beginning of any interview for a criminal offence. Frequently we find police officers do not make suspects aware that a voluntary interview means that they are suspected of having committed a criminal offence or they conveniently forget to point out to the attendee that they are entitled to free legal advice either through the local free duty solicitor scheme administered by the legal aid agency. Free legal advice is also available at the police station or anywhere where you are interviewed by a police constable in uniform from a criminal solicitor's firm. At the beginning of any interview you will be told that you are entitled to free legal advice either in person or on the telephone from the duty solicitor. We strongly advise you to not fall into the trap of thinking that such advice is not needed and that asking for such advice will make you appear guilty in the eyes of the police. The police's job is to enforce the criminal law and to bring, who they believe to have broken it before a court. They are not lawyers and have no duty to you to give you free independent advice about what you should do in a police interview and how to protect your legal position. A criminal solicitor representing you in interview can often make the difference between you being charged with an offence following an interview or not. Legal advice is available from the duty solicitor scheme 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 365 days a year including bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and during all unsociable hours. It is free. It is not means tested. You do not have to pay a penny. Frequently the police will try and discourage you from having such advice stating it will take time for the solicitor to attend the police station. All criminal solicitors who are duty solicitors must attend the police station within 45 minutes of being informed that the police are ready to interview you. Waiting 45 minutes or less for a solicitor to attend on you at interview could make the difference between:- (1) Getting a criminal record or not. (2) Going to prison for a lengthy time or not. (3) No further action being taken against you by the police or the prosecution or not. (4) Being detained for an inordinate length of time while the police investigate the matter or not? Police station advice is free. You do not pay for it. Can you afford not to take it up? We provide police station representation for criminal solicitor firms and there clients. If you need a criminal solicitor in the Kent or south-east London area please contact us on (07535) 494446. www.Policestationagent.com

Top Ten Tips For A Police Station Rep & Tips For The Newly Qualified Police Station Rep (1) Read the Custody Record Thoroughly. If you are an experienced police station rep you will know that the custody record can be a useful source of information obtainable from the police that may not be recorded elsewhere. Often it will list the client property and this may lead to you pursuing additional lines of disclosure which otherwise you may not have been aware of. It may record the client's mental health position; whether or not the client was intoxicated and many other useful bits of information. Always read it! You never know how useful it could be until you've examined it thoroughly. (2) DDO's can be a useful source of information. Often the DDO (designated detention officer) will know more about your client than the custody sergeant or the officer in the case. After all, he/she may have been caring for them and dealing face to face for many hours. Many DDO's are highly experienced and have been in the job for some time. As such they will often be able to tell you who are the "old lags" and who have only been arrested for the first time recently. (3) Don't rely on what the client tells you for information. Many years ago as one of a number of newly qualified police station reps I made the unfortunate decision to rely on what a client had told me as to her previous convictions. This client who was very criminally experience had obviously spotted me as a "new face". In consultation, she told me she had no previous convictions. This was a shop theft case. I made representations to the custody sergeant following interview in which she admitted the offence he might want to consider the possibility of the caution. The quick retort came back "Have you looked at your client 17 pages of previous convictions?" A valuable lesson was learned that day............. (4) Its not what the Officer tells you it's what he does not say In all police forces that I have represented clients in it has been standard police practice to withhold important pieces of information from the police station representative. This is according to the police at least so that they can "test the clients account in an interview". Always be on the alert for what the officer could be hiding from you in terms of disclosure. It is particularly prevalent with newly qualified or probationer police officers. Often you will get a standard phrase "That is all I am prepared to disclose at this present time". Or "I believe that I have given you sufficient disclosure in order that you can advise your client". Quite often, the police do not seem to understand that the legal representative's role is to protect and advise their client. Sometimes disclosure is so inadequate your only option is to advise the client to go " no comment" in an interview. Do not be afraid to say this on tape when it comes to the police interviewing your client or intervening when they come up with new pieces of information. (5) Don't be afraid to intervene in the interview. Ed Capes Defending Suspects At Police Stations is the book to consult with regard to what type of questions to object to in police interviews and why. Read it! Don't be afraid to intervene in police interviews if you feel that the questioning is unfair. You are not there simply to act as an observer. Remember the Cardiff six case. (6) If you're going to have a disagreement with a police officer make sure it's been recorded. Where humanly possible if you know you're going to have a disagreement with a police officer try and ensure that it is recorded. The best place to do this is in the police interview.  You will find that even the most disagreeable, arrogant and difficult officer will struggle when you explain politely and on tape what your request is. As it is recorded the whole interaction can be referred later to in court. (7) Disclosure, Disclosure, Disclosure Like it or not your job is to get the most disclosure that you can for your client that you can possibly can.  Police officers will often try and hold as much as they can back.  Withholding of disclosure is especially prevalent with newly qualified or probationer police officers.  Often they seem to have been taught by rote. You may need to explain to them that the less you know about the alleged offence the more likely that you will have to advise your client that you do not have enough information and that he should go "No comment". Do not be afraid to do a prepared statement in these circumstances. (8) Let clients know their chances of bail. It is important to be realistic with clients as to their chances of bail especially if they are likely to be charged.  You will do yourself no favours or the client if you mislead him as to his chances. Be realistic. Often this is the first and only thing on the client's mind. Give a reasoned explanation as to why/why not he may not get bail on this occasion and you will keep the client for life. (9) Be realistic with outcomes Never lie to a client as to the possible outcome of a case. Often you will not have enough information to say what could happen. Tell the client the possibilities in a calm and measured way and be realistic. Don't fall into the trap however and saying what the client wants to hear! (10) Police stations will be ready at inconvenient times. Police stations are rarely ready at 9 a.m. on Monday mornings when you have nothing else to do. They will be usually ready late at night, on evenings when you have things planned, on bank holidays and at weekends. Remember this is a way of life, not a job. I always have my bag packed, full of forms with me as you can never tell when the next police station will be ready!

Freelance Police Station Representative or Freelance Criminal Solicitor? Do you need more work representing clients at Police Stations for major Criminal Practices in England and Wales? Want to work in your local area covering your local police stations and sick of paying a cut to the agency and not getting a decent fee for the work that you do? Post your details free on our leading police station representative site and join our free community. The site if free and we charge you nothing for registering your details. Neither do we charge the firms for making your telephone number freely available. "There is such a thing as a free lunch..........."

You know the problem. Your stuck in the office by yourself.... You work in a criminal solicitor's practice and you've just had that urgent call from the duty call centre................. the police are ready to interview your client at the police station. You can't go yourself. There is this important client coming in five minutes with this document for the Crown Court which you must just complete today. Should you turn the call down? Give it back to the duty call centre? Cancel your important meeting with that important client and lose that client that you have worked so hard to keep? or instead consult OUR FREE POLICE STATION REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTORY it's free! and with one phone call you can instruct that local police station representative to cover that important call. He or she is a fully accredited after all or even a criminal duty solicitor. Unlike your staff he or she will work pass 5:30 pm until such time as the case is finished. They are available at unsociable hours; on evenings and weekends and bank holidays too! And for a fraction as to what an agency will cost you! You might decide to instruct them every day. Click on the picture below for the site.

How to get paid when a Criminal Solicitors Practice owes you money! 1. Send invoices as soon as the job is finished. It should almost go without saying. As soon as you have finished a particular job you should send an invoice straight away. Criminal firms cannot pay you until have received your invoice and papers. As a freelance police station rep, you want to get a good reputation. One of the ways of getting and maintaining that good reputation is to ensure that criminal firms get your notes well within the 24-hour period specified by the Legal Aid Agency. Make it a regular practice to email those notes in PDF form and send the original notes in the post as soon as possible. 2. Send statements at regular intervals. Criminal practices are busy places. Unfortunately, this may mean that your outstanding invoices may not get the attention that they deserve. Sending statements at regular intervals, say 7 or 14 days will ensure that the practice knows your bills are outstanding. If the practice knows that they are outstanding they are likely to pay them. 3. Ensure that they are sent to the right person. Invoices that go to the wrong person will usually not be paid. It is always a good idea to get the name of the person who has authority to pay your bills. In most criminal practices it will usually be one person. Cultivate your relationship with him/her. You will be paid so much more quickly. 4. Use a credit controller if necessary. Having a credit controller is a really great idea and it is not necessary to employ one full-time. Currently, I have a freelance credit controller who is paid per telephone call. Having a credit controller is not extremely expensive if you find the right one. Regular telephone calls usually ensure that your invoice will not be forgotten. 5. Send regular reminders. This is a great way to ensure that you get paid. Currently, I have an accounts package, quick file that automatically lets me know when client invoices are overdue. This has a facility to send automatic emails with a polite nudge to let my clients know I have not forgotten the invoice. It is well worth investing in a good accounts package. Quickfile is free for new users and only costs £49 a year. 6. Don't work for those who will not pay. Ultimately, you are running a business and must treat it as such. It is not worth working for clients who will not pay your invoices or work on credit periods that you find unacceptable. One of my now ex-clients used to think it was okay to pay me every 90 days despite him being paid by the legal aid agency every 30 days. I now no longer work for him. 7. Offer generous early settlement terms for prompt payment. I offer 10% discount for early payment by bank transfer. It is a great way of ensuring your invoices are paid early and good for clients too. 8. Don't be afraid to sue if necessary Do not be afraid to resort to legal proceedings if necessary. There are many different debt collection agencies. 9. Ask around - Other reps will know who pays on time and those who pay late. (and those who don't pay at all!) Other police station representatives are usually a good mine of information as to who are good payers and who to avoid. Ask around and you will quickly get to know the best practices to work for. This 10. Get a good accounts package A good accounts package pays for itself in months. I recommend quick file. All advice brought to you by