perjury

[tangojoe]

I watched a 'police ' show on TV where the arresting officer threatened a suspect with a charge of perjury as he kept giving a false name. Surely you can only be charged with perjury for lying under oath. Or does being cautioned have the same effect as an sworn oath? I would think not, however I am not legally trained,so could be wrong.

[Rollo]

Telling a lie to a police officer is not perjury.

As you say, perjury is telling a lie whilst you are under oath.

[Rollo]

The police might try to say you were attempting to pervert the course of justice if you lie to them.

Better to say nothing, rather than lie, as you have every right to do.

[Ethel]

Giving false details to a police officer is a criminal offence - either obstructing a police office, or perverting the course of justice

[Sally]

Was that on the telly two nights ago, when they stopped a women with no drivin licence and phoned her husband to ask if she had one? I saw that, I was just about to say the same thing to my other half when the person narratin the program said " incase you didn't know perjury can only be commited in court, the officer was calling the womens husbands bluff and he put the phone down

[paraffin]

A police officer effecting an arrest is not empowered to "charge" anyone with an offence, that is up to the custody officer at a police station.
The arresting officer can only bring the suspect to the station where he has to justify the reasons for the arrest to the custody officer who will initially decide whether or not the suspect a)Was legally arrested b)If not, he may release suspect c)He may authorise suspect to be detained for questioning etc d)He may subsequently charge suspect with offence(s) if sufficient evidence to put him in front of a court.
The only other senario would be that the arresting officer also has the power to "de-arrest" the suspect before arriving at the nick!

[tangojoe]

Sally: No it was a different programme but yours leads me to think, based on other answers, that it's alright for the police to lie to you but this does not apply in reverse.

[Rollo]

Of course, what an actor playing the part of a police officer in a TV show might say, and what a real life police officer might say, are not necessarily always the same!

[Rollo]

On the other hand, if it was a "reality" programme with a real policeman threatening a suspect with a perjury charge, then what a stupid policeman to show himself up as being that ignorant to the nation.