If you’ve been invited in for a voluntary interview in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, and the general Gloucestershire area, we’re here to help you navigate through. The word “voluntary” can be misleading as you’re attending as a suspect, under caution, and the interview can affect whether you’re charged.
Our Gloucester office regularly represents clients through this process from the first contact with police, to the interview itself. We can request disclosure in advance, liaise with the officer in the case, and advise you on how to approach the questions you’ll be asked. Learn how a voluntary interview under caution works.
Preparing You for a Voluntary Police Interview
We contact the investigating officer ahead of your interview and seek disclosure of the case against you — what’s been alleged, whether witnesses have given statements, and what other evidence, such as CCTV or forensics, the police are holding. Going in with that knowledge changes what you can safely say.
A private consultation lets us take your full account without the pressure of the custody clock, and decide together on the best way to handle the questions.
Deciding how to answer a Gloucestershire Constabulary interview
Full comment. Answering everything can be a strong way to deny an allegation outright, though it carries the risk of inconsistency, or of volunteering something the police couldn’t otherwise have proved.
No comment. Not answering isn’t an admission of guilt — it can be the right call where there’s no safe account to give, or where speaking now risks damaging your position further down the line.
Prepared statement. Often the best of both: a carefully drafted written statement that sets out your account on your terms, without exposing you to follow-up questioning on the parts that don’t help.
Representation Across Gloucestershire
Our Gloucester office represents clients at voluntary interviews across the county.
Gloucester Police Station
Compass House Waterwells Business Park, Waterwells Drive, Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 2AN
Frequently Asked Questions
For an arrest to be lawful, it must be considered necessary. This will often be the case where evidence needs to be obtained from a suspect’s property or seized from a suspect. If the alleged offence took place some time ago, or there is no longer a need to seize evidence, a voluntary interview may be offered instead.
In short, no. The fact that a voluntary interview has been offered does not mean that the allegation is minor or that the police do not have sufficient evidence. It usually means that the police do not consider an arrest necessary.
The police may attend your address to contact you about a voluntary interview. If they are unable to reach you, they may instead contact you by post.
After the interview, the police officer will decide whether any further investigation is needed or whether a charging decision should be sought from an Evidential Review Officer or the Crown Prosecution Service.
We will consider whether any positive action can be taken to advance your position and reduce the risk of a charge. This may include compiling evidence in support of your defence and submitting it to the police with written representations. A proactive approach can sometimes play a crucial role in avoiding a prosecution.
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