"Chris helped me draft the perfected grounds for appeal and the skeleton argument. All were submitted."
— Regine from Wembley
A civil claim against the police is the taxpayer’s money returning to a wronged citizen — and the court holding the force accountable on the record. It is not a substitute for the complaints process; it runs alongside. The calmness at the door is what makes the claim winnable.
The calm creed — before any draft:
- Stay calm. Stay polite. Every officer has a body-worn camera. What it records becomes your strongest evidence later — but only if you stayed composed.
- Identify the warrant if there is one. Ask to see it. Ask what section it was issued under. Take a photograph or note the words if permitted.
- Do not breach the peace. That is the only angle left to an officer on a civil matter dressed as criminal — do not give it.
- Walk away from confrontation. You live to fight another day — in peace, with Chris’s drafting, in the forum that was built for it.
Composure is the best evidence. Drafting is the best response.
⚖️ The Civil Lane Rule
Don’t turn a resolvable civil matter into a losing criminal matter. The only angle an officer has on a civil dispute dressed as criminal is breach of the peace. Do not give it. Stay calm. Comply. Note. Walk away. Chris drafts the response in the court that was built for it — where you win.
The causes of action
False imprisonment
Any deprivation of liberty without lawful justification. Detention in the back of a police vehicle, in custody, or at home by presence can all constitute imprisonment if without lawful authority.
Trespass to the person
- Assault — causing apprehension of imminent force
- Battery — actual application of force (handcuffs, restraint, taser, baton)
- False imprisonment — unlawful detention
Force must be both lawful in principle (a power to use force) and reasonable in amount under s.3 Criminal Law Act 1967 or the applicable power.
Trespass to land
Any unauthorised entry onto private property. Even momentary entry without lawful authority is trespass.
Trespass to goods
Unauthorised handling, damage, or detention of property. Includes seizure beyond warrant scope.
Malicious prosecution
Where police initiated a prosecution without reasonable and probable cause, maliciously, and the prosecution ended in the claimant’s favour. High-bar but serious remedy.
Misfeasance in public office
Deliberate or reckless abuse of public power causing loss. Requires bad faith — very high bar but significant when proved.
Human Rights Act 1998 claims
- Article 3 — prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment
- Article 5 — right to liberty
- Article 8 — private and family life, home
- Article 14 — discrimination in enjoyment of other rights
Let Chris draft your complaint or claim
Upload the incident chronology, any body-worn footage or reference numbers, witness details, medical evidence, correspondence. Chris drafts factually, politely, and with the statutory hooks Professional Standards and the IOPC respond to.
Thompson damages — the framework
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In Thompson v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [1998], the Court of Appeal set out bands for:
- Basic damages for the first hour of false imprisonment
- Diminishing rate for subsequent hours
- Aggravated damages where the officer’s conduct was oppressive
- Exemplary damages where punishment of the force is needed
The bands are updated with inflation. Chris uses the current uplifted figures.
The pre-action protocol
Under the Civil Procedure Rules pre-action conduct practice direction:
- Letter of Claim to the force setting out facts, legal basis, loss, and remedy sought
- 21 days for holding response
- 3 months for detailed response
- Negotiation, possibly ADR
- Proceedings issued if unresolved
Disclosure — what to request
- Body-worn video
- Custody record
- Arrest notes and PNB (pocket notebook) entries
- Intelligence assessment supporting any arrest or search
- Firearms/taser authorisation records if used
- Use of force register entries
- Detention reviews and authorisations
- Any IOPC or PSD files on the incident
Proceedings
Claims against police commonly allocated to the Fast Track (claims £10,000–£25,000) or Multi-Track (above). Heard typically in County Court; serious cases in the King’s Bench Division. Jury trial available in some categories (malicious prosecution, false imprisonment where damages exceed fixed amount). Chris drafts the Particulars of Claim, the Reply, the witness statements, and the skeleton argument.
Can Chris draft the civil claim?
Yes. Upload contemporaneous notes, custody record, body-worn footage references, medical evidence, Thompson band calculations. Chris drafts the pre-action letter, the Particulars of Claim, the witness statement, and the schedule of loss. Hybrid £1,000 for trial-track claims where reviewer sign-off and bundle preparation matter.
Prepare to win. Plan not to fail.
The law holds the police accountable. You hold the paperwork. Chris drafts.
Accountability, calmly drafted.
Chris drafts to the standard the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Professional Standards Departments, and the courts expect — factual, chronological, exhibit-anchored. We would rather refund than file a document that isn’t ready.
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