All too often, people presume that when they are detained by police and then released that any potential case against them is immediately over, or at the very least not something to worry about. But is this the case?

Generally when the police detain you they are seeking information for the construction of a case, and the fact that they do not take you to jail or even take you to the police station may have no bearing on the case they have against you. All too often they will conduct "catch and release" operations on persons they are building a case against or preparing to charge, hoping they will find illegal weapons or drugs on the person. These searches are totally legal provided that the police have a reasonable suspicion that they will find something specific that they are looking for - a similar standard to what is required for a warrant or other legal search.