This week we are looking at three chapters from the General Police Duties syllabus book, all three of which are quite short compared to others in your syllabus. The first chapter is Chapter 10 Offences Involving Communication.

Your examiners over the years have demonstrated their ability to write questions from obscure parts of the syllabus and this chapter could well be where it comes from this year. The two offences in relation to Threats and Communication of False Information is a good area to test with lots of variation to write about. The 1977 offence was written primarily to deal with Bomb Hoaxes, while the 2001 offence has a much wider remit and could cover a multitude of sins. This is one of those bits of law where thinking about some circumstances that you can fit around the law will help to imprint this in your mind.

If your examiners are looking to demonstrate their up to date qualities, a question about Social Media and the Malicious Communication Offence would fit the bill very well. That takes the law into that topical area that could easily be tested.

Our second chapter this week is Chapter 11 Terrorism and Associated Offences, and if we are going to follow the topicality rule, we have discussed often in these articles, the whole of this chapter takes on a massive importance. I have said before in these pages that the examiners try to write about current issues, and things that relate to the role you are seeking to be promoted to, so give this chapter a very good look.

It starts with a definition of 'Terrorism' as the chapter opener, so add that to your list of important definitions and make sure you know it well. The section on Disclosure of Information has been in the news recently, relating to the wives of terror suspects who are charged with this offence following the involvement their husbands in suicide bombings. Clearly the offence of conspiracy would not be applicable here because you cannot conspire with your spouse.

Make sure you know all the Offences under the Terrorism Act and relevant Police Powers. This includes another important definition, that of 'a terrorist' The issue of Cordon's and Police Powers raises a question about who can require people to leave a cordoned area, and it must be a constable in uniform. I would like to think that your examiners will not take the cheap option and ask about that, but they could ask a question about a Detective who is helping out at a terror situation and asks someone to leave, and they would hope by the time you got to the end of the question you will have forgotten that this law does not apply to someone out of uniform.

The three Offences Involving Explosive Substance contain some interesting offences. The first offence needs the offender to be either in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, the second offence in the United Kingdom or a dependency, and the third offence does not specify where the offender is. This is a situation where a comparison chart of the three offences may very well help with an understanding. Ask the 5WH questions Who Where What Why and How, and draw up the three columns, add the text of the law, and you will see how each offences works.

The last section in this chapter is the short passage about intimidating people connected with animal research organisations, and this leads very well into the next chapter, Chapter 12 Public Disorder, because in previous Blackstone's incarnations that is where you would have found it. It is a fairly straight forward section but worth having a look at.

The Common Law definition of Breach of the Peace is well worth getting to know as is the Power to Arrest. This is a Past, Present, and Future power, a Breach of the Peace has occurred and it is feared it will start again (Past) Is Committing a Breach of the Peace (Present) or, will commit in the immediate future. (Future). If you put that with the conditions about the threat, from Bibby v Chief Constable of Essex Police, that is a big section to get to know, but an important one.

The main Public Order offences drop down in their seriousness starting with a Riot and ending with a simple Section 5 Public Order Act offence. They are all different, and the two Section 4 offences are in my view really difficult to test. They are hard enough to teach so people understand the difference between them clearly, so they will be very difficult to test with any degree of clarity. I would not want to write a question to test either of them. The best advice I can offer is to say both are what I call Ronseal offences and they 'do just what they say on the tin'.

It is worth remembering too that the offence of Affray does not involve a threat to property. The Police Direction to Prevent Harassment is a very easy area to test, and full of complicated areas leading to an offence. This is another area where working out situations to cover the circumstances is a really good way to learn something that is quite complex. It has been quite a long time since we have had a real problem at a public procession until the London student demo, which took place about 18 months before your exam, and for that reason there is a good possibility that this is an area that will be tested, have a good look at it please.

I would make sure you also dwell on the section that relates to the Dispersal of Groups. This is always topical, and therefore worth getting to know.

So is the short section on Power to Remove under 16s. It has times and circumstances, and that very important line 'unless he has reasonable grounds for believing the person would if removed to that place be likely to suffer significant harm.' I can easily see a question around that, so make sure you have a good look at that too.

TOP TIP

This week's top tip is about reading the question when you are testing your knowledge, and doing the exam. Two tips really, first of all cover up the answer options, so you can work out what you think the answer is before you look for it. If your choice is there, bingo you are in business, but if it is not then you will have some working out to do.

Secondly when you read the question, read the last sentence first. That way when you read the main body of the question you are reading it with the same mindset as the person who wrote it.

Time for me to issue my usual health warning, I really do not know what is in your exam, and although there are companies out there who offer training for Part 1 and advise which areas to learn because 'they will come up' this is a very dangerous strategy to follow. The exams unit at Harrogate know what advice is given and can take questions away just as easily as they can add them.

This is going to be my last call for Executive Guidance Crammer weekends, so if you want a place contact us now through the web-site www.executiveguidance.co.uk

If you have any friends who are studying for the National Investigators Exam we are now offering an excellent 14 week Distance Learning Course and a 2 day Crammer weekend immediately before the exam and there are more details on the web-site.

There are now only 46 days to go until your exam, so make sure you keep the pressure on and build some revision into your studies, as well as the new stuff we do each week.

This week's lengthy quote comes from a 19th century American Temperance Orator, John B.Gough, who said:

If you want to succeed in the world must make your own opportunities as you go on. The man who waits for some seventh wave to toss him on dry land will find that the seventh wave is a long time a coming. You can commit no greater folly than to sit by the roadside until some-one comes along and invites you to ride with him to wealth or influence.

Well that's it for me for another week, see you next week.

Phil Waters

www.ospretraining.org