KBW Chambers’ Police Law Team provides specialist advice and representation to all police forces on Circuit and further afield. They routinely act in an advisory capacity on policy decisions; an endorsement of Chambers unique expertise. The team act in litigation matters ranging from judicial review proceedings to disciplinary hearings.
Our barristers are instructed on a range of police related litigation including:
- employment proceedings
- misfeasance claims
- judicial review proceedings
- workplace and personal injury claims
- pensions issues
- inquests
- licensing hearings
- data protection
- disclosure and criminal records issues
- disciplinary hearings
Chambers is home to several barristers who have Developed Vetting Security Clearance which enables them to be instructed on cases involving classified material and national security. The barristers are only a handful outside London Sets to have such clearance. It means that barristers are instructed in cases of the utmost seriousness – 7/7 London bombings and other work arising from incidents in Northern Ireland.
In relation to operational police law we are probably the leading set of chambers in relation to closure orders having conducted well over two hundred hearings and also have vast experience in dealing with cash forfeiture applications under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Violent Offender Orders, Sexual Offences Prevention Orders and other civil behaviour orders.
Our members often act as independent counsel to assist the police in the execution of search warrants, for example, at solicitors’ offices, and also advise on issues of legal professional privilege during ongoing police investigations. In addition we have provided live advice during the policing of incidents of public disorder such as recent EDL marches.
Members of chambers also act for Claimants in relation to claims against the police and act for families of the deceased at coroner’s inquests involving the police and provide representation for individual officers both before disciplinary panels and at inquests.
Chambers regularly provide seminars to the professions in relation to police law.
Recent lectures have been provided to the Association of Police Lawyers Annual Conference, the Police Defence Lawyers’ Forum and several in house sessions for police solicitor’s departments. Topics have included the disclosure of electronic documents, recent developments in negligence actions against the police, policing public order incidents and the disclosure of criminal records.
Team Head: Oliver Thorne
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