PACE s17 • Entry without warrant

WASPS police meaning

Powers of entry without warrant — PACE s17. A quick, source-backed reference for the UK policing mnemonic WASPS.

Short answer

The grounds on which a constable may enter and search premises without a warrant under PACE s17 — commonly taught alongside arrest powers since entry is usually to effect an arrest.

Legal anchor: PACE 1984 s17(1)

WASPS
PACE 1984 s17(1)
WWarrant — enter to execute a warrant of arrest or commitment (criminal proceedings)
AArrest for an indictable offence
SSpecified offences — arrest for certain specified offences
PPersons at large — recapture a person unlawfully at large
SSave life and limb / protect property from serious damage

When officers use it

The grounds on which a constable may enter and search premises without a warrant under PACE s17 — commonly taught alongside arrest powers since entry is usually to effect an arrest.

Practical point: the mnemonic is a memory aid, not the test. Decisions still turn on the live facts and the underlying law (PACE 1984 s17(1)) — record your rationale, not just the letters.

Variants and spellings

The Surrey quick guide lists the letters W-A-S-P-S under 'Section 17 PACE' without printing the name 'WASPS'; the name is the common training usage.

Why Section includes this

Section is a fast UK police reference app for officers and student officers: offences, points to prove, PACE powers and the standard mnemonics in one offline place. Every entry in the app — including this one — was verified against the sources listed below.

What does WASPS stand for?

W = Warrant, A = Arrest for an indictable offence, S = Specified offences, P = Persons at large, S = Save life and limb / protect property from serious damage.

Is WASPS a law?

No — it is a memory aid used in UK police training. The underlying framework is PACE 1984 s17(1).

Are there variants of WASPS?

The Surrey quick guide lists the letters W-A-S-P-S under 'Section 17 PACE' without printing the name 'WASPS'; the name is the common training usage.

Sources

IDCOPPLAN — Arrest necessity criteria ('ID COP PLAN') — PACE s24 / Code G DIE — Search of a person upon arrest — PACE s32 GOWISELY — Stop and search — information the officer must give (PACE s2 / Code A)

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