I claim that I don't have any evidence I would care to present in court - so I can't, say, charge you with conspiracy to commit a crime. Still, I reckon you are going to commit one. Since I am the authority you have placed in charge of your security, you should just trust me on this.
So I'd quite like to be able to just lock you up and throw away the key now please. Because if I don't, you see, a crime will be committed. By you. Says me.
Oh, I might release you a couple of months later, almost certainly without ever charging you and probably without bothering to tell you quite why I locked you up. But I'll keep all the stuff I grabbed from your place when I was searching it while you were locked up - or whatever I didn't break in the process, anyway; and I'll record - permanently - that I arrested you for potentially committing a crime. Just in case, you know, I get a hunch again, or maybe a workplace you're applying to (after [I killed your small business by confiscating all your records] and kept you in jail for ninety days) runs a check on you or something.
You've got to agree this beats just letting you commit a crime that I have a really good hunch you will. MoonShadow writes: SeeAlso[1] (How to avoid going to jail for lying to federal agents).
I find that article distinctly scary. Does anyone know to what extent, if at all, its contents apply to the UK equivalents? --AlexChurchill
The basic advice "You do not have to say anything so don't - at least until you have proper counsel." certainly applies. Of course, whilst this may be legally correct, I'm sure asserting your rights makes you a suspicious person... --Vitenka