2This book is prepared in a way which recognises the needs of police officers, those who wish to study the criminal law, and members of the public who wish to refer to a legal text which is written in terms which they can understand. The text sets out to cover comprehensively those areas of law and legal procedures with which all police officers are concerned. The syllabus of the qualifying examinations for promotion has been borne in mind throughout, and this edition has been brought up to date with developments in the law since the publication of the seventh edition in 2001.