If you are ever arrested, before you even get a chance to call your lawyer the police may ask you to provide fingerprints, as well as other body samples, such as blood.

It is a fact that very few people fully understand their rights regarding such scenarios, which often leads them to either refusing when they cannot or complying when they did not have to.

Let us say from the outset that this is not being written as a diatribe about police abuse of human rights and so on. The police are essential for our safety and wellbeing, and whenever possible we should all cooperate with them when it is right to do so.

However, the police, like everyone else, are subject to the law, and that includes the law as it applies to individuals’ rights when they are arrested.

When it comes to obtaining fingerprints there are several clear guidelines and rules which apply. The first ones to consider are those in relation to what age a person is, and especially if they are under the age of 18.

If someone is aged 15 to 17, then in order for the police to take their fingerprints, they must have an adult present not just went taking them, but when they ask to take them.

This adult can be a parent, a guardian, or some other independent person. In other words, they cannot simply ask the desk sergeant. Even if permission is granted, a video or audio recording must be taken if the person is under the age of 18.

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