Theft Act s10 • Aggravated burglary

WIFE police meaning

Aggravated burglary articles — Theft Act 1968 s10. A quick, source-backed reference for the UK policing mnemonic WIFE.

Short answer

The articles that turn a burglary into aggravated burglary if the offender has one with them at the time.

Legal anchor: Theft Act 1968 s10

WIFE
Theft Act 1968 s10
WWeapon of offence
IImitation firearm
FFirearm
EExplosive

When officers use it

The articles that turn a burglary into aggravated burglary if the offender has one with them at the time.

Practical point: the mnemonic is a memory aid, not the test. Decisions still turn on the live facts and the underlying law (Theft Act 1968 s10) — record your rationale, not just the letters.

Variants and spellings

Surrey quick guide prints '(WIFE)' after the s10 definition; letter order in the definition is Firearm, Imitation firearm, Weapon of offence, Explosive.

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 WIFE stand for?

W = Weapon of offence, I = Imitation firearm, F = Firearm, E = Explosive.

Is WIFE a law?

No — it is a memory aid used in UK police training. The underlying framework is Theft Act 1968 s10.

Are there variants of WIFE?

Surrey quick guide prints '(WIFE)' after the s10 definition; letter order in the definition is Firearm, Imitation firearm, Weapon of offence, Explosive.

Sources

CLADD — Seizing and retaining property — PACE s19 CIAPOAR — National Decision Model (NDM) — six key elements SARA / OSARA — SARA (and OSARA) — problem-solving policing model

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