searching vehicles

[sausagechips]

Can police by law pull your over your vehicle and search it?
What circumstance can they do this and why?

[Ethel]

Yes they can - here's all the info

http://www.mpa.gov.uk/issues/stop-search/leafl et.htm

[Buenchico]

As Ethel's link shows, the police can stop your vehicle at any time but they can only search it if they have good reason to believe that it contains stolen goods, drugs or weapons. (They can also search it for 'prohibited items'. For example, if someone was released from prison, on licence, with a condition that they shouldn't possess alcohol, the police could search their car if they received a report that the person had just left an off-licence with several bottles in a bag).

However, that link doesn't mention the provisions of the Terrorism Act. Under the Act, the Home Secretary can designate certain areas, for limited (but renewable) periods where the police can stop and search anyone (including drivers and their vehicles) without any specific suspicions of illegal behaviour. The areas currently covered include all airports and railway stations as well as roads within central London. So, if you're driving along the Embankment, the police can stop your vehicle and carry out a search purely at random.

Chris

[sausagechips]

Thank you for both of your replies.
I live in North Yorkshie, my boyfriend has just got a new car 2nd hand car and the police pulled us over and searched the vehicle and searched us. On reports that the car had been used for drug activity. Neither my boyfriend or I take/sell any drugs at all and would never have anything to do with them.
The police where quite rude and took our details and gave us a slip (nothing was found). When we where searched we removed our coats and then got 'padded down', would the police be able to strip search you even if nothing was found(they didn't) purely on intelligence?