united-kingdom police
In the UK, does a person have the right to refuse a police &quot;Stop and Search&quot;
<p>UK Police's stop and search powers have been talked about a lot in the news in recent months.</p>
<p>I would like to know if an individual has the right to refuse a stop and search by police in the UK.</p>

<p><a href="/questions/tagged/england-and-wales" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;england-and-wales&#39;" rel="tag">england-and-wales</a></p>
<p><strong>No</strong></p>
<p>The primary stop and search powers are at:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/60/section/1?timeline=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s.1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act</a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/section/23?timeline=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s.23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971</a></p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/27/section/47?timeline=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s.47
of the Firearms Act 1968</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>which all empower an officer to detain a person for the purposes of that search.</p>
<p>Resisting a search may well be an offence under <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/16/section/89?timeline=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">s.89(2) of the Police Act 1996</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Any person who resists or wilfully obstructs a constable in the execution of his duty [...] shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, or to both.</p>
</blockquote>
