SRA Character and Suitability

[BigBadWolf]

Hi all,

Almost a decade ago, I was stopped and searched along with my friend as he was smoking a cannabis joint.

I recently completed a Met Police SRA which came back with 'no further action' and under the Arrest section it states 'not applicable'.

Apart from this incident, my record is clean - my ACRO SRA also came back as "No Trace" and, since the above incident, Enhanced along with Standard DBS checks have always come back with no issues.

I have a TC and am hoping to qualify within the next few years, is this something I would have to declare to the SRA?

Thanks all

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi all,

Almost a decade ago, I was stopped and searched along with my friend as he was smoking a cannabis joint.

I recently completed a Met Police SRA which came back with 'no further action' and under the Arrest section it states 'not applicable'.

Apart from this incident, my record is clean - my ACRO SRA also came back as "No Trace" and, since the above incident, Enhanced along with Standard DBS checks have always come back with no issues.

I have a TC and am hoping to qualify within the next few years, is this something I would have to declare to the SRA?

Thanks all

Did you accept a caution, or were you just stopped and searched?

 

[BigBadWolf]

Did you accept a caution, or were you just stopped and searched?

I was just stopped and searched.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

I was just stopped and searched.

Then there is no need to declare it as you did not receive any form of charge.

 

[BigBadWolf]

Thank you for clarifying that! Feeling a little relieved now.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Thank you for clarifying that! Feeling a little relieved now.

No worries - think of it this way, lots of people are stopped and search who are innocent. It is only if you accept a caution (which admits guilt) or receive some form of charge that you are then found guilty of, that it would be a problem.

I have known several people get approval from the SRA with cautions though, so even if this was the situation, it wouldn’t necessarily be a end to your legal career.

 

[BigBadWolf]

No worries - think of it this way, lots of people are stopped and search who are innocent. It is only if you accept a caution (which admits guilt) or receive some form of charge that you are then found guilty of, that it would be a problem.

I have known several people get approval from the SRA with cautions though, so even if this was the situation, it wouldn’t necessarily be a end to your legal career.

It's just that I'm getting mixed opinions on this. Some people are saying I should declare it because the SRA can simply ask my local force and if I don't declare said situation, this would put my honesty and integrity in disrepute.

According to the evidence, I was not charged and NFA was taken on the matter.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

It's just that I'm getting mixed opinions on this. Some people are saying I should declare it because the SRA can simply ask my local force and if I don't declare said situation, this would put my honesty and integrity in disrepute.

According to the evidence, I was not charged and NFA was taken on the matter.

The SRA are not going to ask your local force. They don't even know who your local force was.

Also, you could be stopped and searched anywhere in the UK, not just your local area. And so if the SRA were to do a full search, they would need to search every police force in the UK. And even then it doesn't account for something happening outside of the UK.

You were just searched. This literally happens to hundreds of thousands of innocent people each year, and for some people it happens regularly. They wouldn't have to declare this, so why would you need to?

Yes, the system requires you to self-declare, but you have not had any charges against you. You were just stopped and searched - there is no crime committed in only being searched. It is a bit like you being pulled over in a car as part of a routine check - would you expect someone to declare this to the SRA?

The only time you'd need to consider this is if you accepted a caution. If that is the case, then you should declare it.