Even police forces need advice on the law, and Cheshire
Constabulary is not an exception. Force Solicitor Sarah Pimlott and
her team are responsible for representing Cheshire Constabulary in
legal cases and offering guidance to police officers.
This includes making sure offenders are given Anti-Social
Behaviour Orders, Sex Offender Orders and other similar orders.
Once police officers have worked hard to gather the evidence that
someone is deserving of an order, it is someone from the Force
Solicitor’s Office who will go to court to obtain the order.
The Force Solicitor’s team, which includes an assistant and four
other lawyers, are also responsible for advising officers on a
variety of issues, from assisting senior officers with policy
decisions to helping neighbourhood police officers deal with local
problems.
One of the solicitors attends court to apply for the force to
detain cash seized by the Financial Investigation Unit under the
Proceeds of Crime Act. This is money which would otherwise have
been used for criminal purposes or may have been gained from
criminal activities.
Getting ASBOs and other orders
A lawyer from the Force Solicitor’s Office will attend initial
meeting with police officers and other agencies to discuss whether
a threshold has been passed to apply for an order and to decide on
the best course of action.
If it is decided that the threshold has been passed, the Force
Solicitor’s Office will look at the evidence and begin building a
case against the accused. They will then issue the proceedings and
represent the Constabulary in court.