SHACKS Meaning: Reasonable grounds for suspicion (stop and search)

SHACKS police meaning

Reasonable grounds for suspicion (stop and search). A straightforward operational memory aid for SHACKS.

Short answer

Factors an officer weighs to build and articulate reasonable grounds for suspicion before a s1 PACE / s23 MDA stop and search. Appears verbatim in Ministry of Defence Police stop-and-search lesson plans and the Surrey Police quick guide.

SHACKS

Reasonable grounds for suspicion (stop and search)

SSeen — what have you seen, including actions/behaviour?

HHeard — what have you heard (conversation, alarms, breaking glass)?

AActions — what you did and what the person did in response

CConversation — what was said to them and what they said; did the reply raise or lower suspicion?

KKnowledge — what is already known (intelligence, time/location, crime hotspot, witness pointing out)

SSmell — any smells giving rise to suspicion (e.g. drugs)

When officers use it

Practical point: use the mnemonic alongside current training, procedures and the live facts.

Why Section includes this

Section is a fast UK police reference app for officers and student officers: offences, points to prove, PACE powers and operational mnemonics in one offline place.

What does SHACKS stand for?

S = Seen, H = Heard, A = Actions, C = Conversation, K = Knowledge, S = Smell.

GOWISELY — Stop and search — information the officer must give (PACE s2 / Code A) IDCOPPLAN — Arrest necessity criteria ('ID COP PLAN') — PACE s24 / Code G PLANL — Justifying use of force or interference with rights

Operational mnemonics, plus 1,200+ offences, offline

Section puts mnemonics, points to prove and maximum penalties in your pocket for on-shift lookup.

Join the waitlist