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Annex H: Detained person: observation list

PACE Code H (2023) (SI 2023/1422) · issued under s.66 PACE 1984

A Code of Practice issued under section 66 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; admissible in evidence in criminal and civil proceedings and relevant to any question of admissibility under section 67(11) PACE 1984.

Annex H: Detained person: observation list

1. If any detainee fails to meet any of the following criteria, an appropriate healthcare professional or an ambulance must be called.

2. When assessing the level of rousability, consider:

Rousability - can they be woken?

go into the cell

call their name

shake gently

Response to questions - can they give appropriate answers to questions such as:

What’s your name?

Where do you live?

Where do you think you are?

Response to commands - can they respond appropriately to commands such as:

Open your eyes!

Lift one arm, now the other arm!

3. Remember to take into account the possibility or presence of other illnesses, injury, or mental condition; a person who is drowsy and smells of alcohol may also have the following:

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Head injury

Drug intoxication or overdose

Stroke

Reproduced verbatim from PACE Code H (2023) as captured. Codes of Practice are periodically reissued — always verify against the current published Code on GOV.UK before you rely on it. This is a reference, not legal advice.
View this chapter on GOV.UK
Annex G: Fitness to be interviewedAnnex I: Establishing gender of persons for the purpose of searching and certain other procedures

Official sources

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  • PACE Code H (2023) on GOV.UK

    The current, authoritative published version of this Code of Practice.

    Last checked: 2023-12-20
    Verify on official source

Source: PACE Codes of Practice (GOV.UK, Home Office), Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.