Complete public directory
Every route through the site.
Browse the main pages, guides, law and research tools, ten question topics and all 150 individual question pages.
Machine-readable sitemap.xmlGuides and dossiers
- Civil law v criminal law: simple blogA plain-language explanation of the difference, the overlap and why a civil dispute is not a law-free zone.
- Civil and criminal law in Scotland: detailed guideA detailed Scottish guide to parties, purposes, standards of proof, remedies, offences and overlapping facts.
- When police say civil matterQuestions that expose which act, possible offence, evidence, record and review route were actually considered.
- Interview under cautionQuestions about status, voluntary attendance, the general allegation, applicable rules, recording and access to a solicitor.
- TV detection and warrantsA source-led examination of technical detection claims, warrants, disclosed uncertainty and records.
- When the official record is wrongA method for separating receipt, availability, consideration, decision, correction and downstream use.
Case notes and history
- Scottish case-note libraryStructured notes stating the court, citation, issue, precise proposition, paragraph guide, outcome, later treatment and checked date.
- Let Justice Be Done: history, reality, film and folkloreA sourced history of the maxim across ancient analogues, legal history, literature, film, institutional use and folklore.
Research tools
- Research and recording manualThe site's method for sources, fact checking, recording, corrections, publication and unknowns.
- Contacts and formsA purpose-labelled directory of Police Scotland, PIRC, COPFS, courts, tribunals, information rights and housing routes.
- Scottish Police Law IndexA public source map for Scottish legislation, judgments, case law, prosecution policy and published police procedures.
- Search the whole siteSearch guides, dossiers, law topics, statutes, cases, organisations, contacts and all 150 questions.
- Site mapBrowse the complete public structure of the site, including every topic and question page.
Case-note pages
Every paragraph-led case note.
Each entry records the court, citation, issue, proposition, relevant paragraphs, limits, selected later treatment and checked date.
- 01Smith v Donnelly2002 JC 65 · Breach of the peace→
- 02Jones v Carnegie2004 JC 136 · Breach of the peace→
- 03Harris v HM Advocate[2009] HCJAC 80 · Breach of the peace→
- 04Paterson v Harvie[2014] HCJAC 87 · Threatening or abusive behaviour→
- 05Marinello v City of Edinburgh Council[2011] CSIH 33 · Civil harassment→
- 06Moulds v Reid[2012] CSOH 13 · Civil harassment→
- 07Kirkup v HM Advocate[2025] HCJAC 9 · Assault and consent→
Full question library
Ten topics. 150 question pages.
Open a topic overview or expand it here to reach any individual question directly.
01Police decisions15 question pages+
Open the Police decisions topic overview
- Question 001Why was this described as a civil matter?
- Question 002Which reported act was treated as civil, and which possible offences were considered?
- Question 003Did 'civil matter' mean no crime was disclosed, no present evidence existed, or no investigation was considered proportionate?
- Question 004Who made that decision, in what role, and when?
- Question 005Where is the decision and its reasoning recorded?
- Question 006What facts did the decision-maker accept, reject or leave unresolved?
- Question 007What evidence was offered, collected, declined or left outstanding?
- Question 008What is the difference between the incident reference, crime reference and complaint reference in this case?
- Question 009Was a crime-recording decision separate from the decision about further investigation?
- Question 010What reasonable lines of enquiry were identified, completed or ruled out?
- Question 011Why were named witnesses not contacted before the matter was closed?
- Question 012Can a supervisor review the classification without requiring a misconduct complaint?
- Question 013What retention period applies to the call, incident log, messages and body-worn video?
- Question 014What is the route for correcting a fact recorded wrongly by police?
- Question 015What urgent step preserves evidence while a recording or investigation decision is reviewed?
02Interviews & cautions15 question pages+
Open the Interviews & cautions topic overview
- Question 016Am I being approached as a witness, a suspect or in another capacity?
- Question 017Is attendance voluntary, and what does voluntary mean in this jurisdiction?
- Question 018Which organisation is conducting the interview and under what authority?
- Question 019What is the general nature of the alleged offence or conduct?
- Question 020Why am I suspected, so far as the applicable rules require that to be explained?
- Question 021Will the interview be under caution and audio or video recorded?
- Question 022May I obtain legal advice before agreeing a date or answering questions?
- Question 023Can a solicitor be present, and is publicly funded advice available?
- Question 024What happens if I ask to postpone so that I can obtain advice?
- Question 025Am I free to leave, and could my status change during the interview?
- Question 026Who else will be present and what is each person's role?
- Question 027Which caution and interview rules apply in Scotland, England and Wales, or another jurisdiction?
- Question 028How can I obtain a copy or record of what was said?
- Question 029What should I do if I do not understand the allegation, question or caution?
- Question 030Why is a case-specific solicitor's advice safer than a blanket 'always answer' or 'always no comment' rule?
03Warrants & entry15 question pages+
Open the Warrants & entry topic overview
- Question 031Who issued the warrant, on what date, and under which legal power?
- Question 032What address, person, premises, material and time period does it cover?
- Question 033What information was put before the judicial decision-maker?
- Question 034Was information given on oath or affirmation, and by whom?
- Question 035What facts were said to establish the required grounds?
- Question 036Did a detector, algorithm, informant or confidential method contribute to those grounds?
- Question 037What caveats, uncertainty and alternative explanations were disclosed?
- Question 038Was any earlier refusal, failed application or contrary information disclosed?
- Question 039How can the warrant's authenticity and scope be checked at the door?
- Question 040Which people may enter and what identification should they provide?
- Question 041What may be searched, copied, examined or seized under the warrant?
- Question 042What inventory or receipt should record property taken?
- Question 043How are privileged, irrelevant or third-party materials handled?
- Question 044What record exists of entry, search, damage and items retained?
- Question 045What route exists to obtain advice about the warrant or challenge the way it was obtained or executed?
04Evidence & records15 question pages+
Open the Evidence & records topic overview
- Question 046What exactly is meant by 'there is no evidence' in this decision?
- Question 047Can receipt of a document be separated from whether it was available, read and considered?
- Question 048What proves when and where material was uploaded, emailed or handed over?
- Question 049Which version of a document or recording was used?
- Question 050Was the original format and metadata preserved?
- Question 051Who had access to the material and what does the audit trail show?
- Question 052What evidence inventory or schedule was created?
- Question 053How were conflicting accounts identified and resolved?
- Question 054What unused, contradictory, failed or inconclusive material exists?
- Question 055What retention rule applies, and has a preservation request been acknowledged?
- Question 056How can an incorrect record be corrected without erasing proof of the original error?
- Question 057Which later systems or decisions received the incorrect information?
- Question 058What would show that an apparent omission was material to the outcome?
- Question 059Can a transcript, minute or summary be checked against the original recording?
- Question 060Who owns the duty to correct every copy after an error is accepted?
05Complaints & oversight15 question pages+
Open the Complaints & oversight topic overview
- Question 061Why does the organisation complained about investigate itself first?
- Question 062Was the complaint recorded as separate numbered issues?
- Question 063Did the response decide each issue actually raised?
- Question 064Was the reviewer independent of the original action and line management?
- Question 065Which standard of proof or service standard was applied?
- Question 066What evidence did the reviewer obtain rather than merely summarise?
- Question 067How were conflicts of evidence resolved?
- Question 068Why did the response answer a different question from the complaint?
- Question 069What deadline applies and what happens when the organisation misses it?
- Question 070What outcome or remedy was requested, and was it addressed?
- Question 071What can an external reviewer examine: handling, merits, conduct, or all three?
- Question 072Can the reviewer require reconsideration, correction, apology, training or compensation?
- Question 073Who checks whether recommendations were implemented?
- Question 074What is the route when two watchdogs each say the other has jurisdiction?
- Question 075How can a late review remain effective if the original evidence has been deleted?
06Courts & prosecutors15 question pages+
Open the Courts & prosecutors topic overview
- Question 076What evidential and public-interest test was applied to the prosecution decision?
- Question 077Which element of the alleged offence was considered unproved?
- Question 078What material did police send to the prosecutor?
- Question 079Who checks whether relevant material was omitted from that report?
- Question 080Was a decision not to prosecute based on evidence, public interest, policy or another reason?
- Question 081What review or victim-right-to-review route applies here?
- Question 082What disclosure duties apply to material that weakens a prosecution or assists a defence?
- Question 083How can a person discover that potentially relevant material once existed but was not preserved?
- Question 084Who verifies court minutes, transcripts, productions and evidence inventories?
- Question 085What is the process for correcting a demonstrable factual error in a court record?
- Question 086What remedy exists if a tribunal decided a materially different question from the one before it?
- Question 087Why are some comparable judgments published while others are difficult to obtain?
- Question 088What deadline applies to review, appeal or complaint, and when did it start?
- Question 089Does a complaint pause any legal deadline, or must separate action be considered?
- Question 090Where can a layperson obtain independent advice about procedure and prospects?
07Housing & councils15 question pages+
Open the Housing & councils topic overview
- Question 091When can the same housing facts create both civil remedies and possible criminal offences?
- Question 092Who investigates alleged unlawful eviction or harassment in this part of the UK?
- Question 093What evidence distinguishes lawful management from coercion or harassment?
- Question 094What notice, order, authority or consent is relied upon for entry?
- Question 095Who may attend an inspection or repair visit, and can reasonable arrangements be discussed?
- Question 096What happens when a landlord supplies materially false information to a council or tribunal?
- Question 097Who enforces a repairing-standard or housing tribunal order?
- Question 098Is the landlord, agent and property registered or licensed as required?
- Question 099What happens while registration or licensing is disputed?
- Question 100Which council team owns enforcement, and what reference has it assigned?
- Question 101What inspection, warning, notice or decision record exists?
- Question 102How are inaccurate safeguarding or anti-social-behaviour records corrected?
- Question 103Who received and repeated disputed information about an occupier?
- Question 104What review route exists when a council closes a report without inspecting?
- Question 105Which housing, advice-centre or solicitor route is appropriate to the jurisdiction and urgency?
08Data & surveillance15 question pages+
Open the Data & surveillance topic overview
- Question 106What personal information is held outside the disclosed case file?
- Question 107Which organisation is the controller and which is acting as processor or contractor?
- Question 108Where did the information come from and who received it?
- Question 109What purpose and lawful basis are relied upon for its use?
- Question 110What retention period applies and when is deletion due?
- Question 111Why has material been redacted or withheld, and which exemption is relied upon?
- Question 112What searches were performed before saying information is not held?
- Question 113How can inaccurate personal data be rectified while preserving the correction history?
- Question 114What automated profiling contributed to the decision?
- Question 115Can a human review the inputs and outcome?
- Question 116What demonstrated false-positive and false-negative rates apply to the technology?
- Question 117Who independently validates facial recognition, ANPR, location or biometric systems?
- Question 118What model, version, configuration and threshold produced the result?
- Question 119What audit log shows access, amendment, sharing and deletion?
- Question 120Which complaint, subject-access, information-commissioner or legal route fits the actual problem?
09Regulators & contractors15 question pages+
Open the Regulators & contractors topic overview
- Question 121What statutory, contractual or policy power is this body exercising?
- Question 122Is the person dealing with me an official, inspector, investigator, employee, agent or contractor?
- Question 123Who remains accountable for a contractor's decision?
- Question 124What service specification, key performance measure or enforcement policy applies?
- Question 125Can the public authority obtain records held by its contractor?
- Question 126Which complaints process applies to the contractor and which to the commissioning authority?
- Question 127What conflict-of-interest checks were completed?
- Question 128Who audits the accuracy of the contractor's equipment and reports?
- Question 129What training and authorisation does the individual decision-maker hold?
- Question 130What is the route for challenging a regulator's decision not to act?
- Question 131Does the regulator examine individual redress, wider compliance, or both?
- Question 132What must be disclosed when commercial confidentiality is claimed?
- Question 133How are repeated complaints analysed for a systemic pattern?
- Question 134Who verifies that promised corrective action actually occurred?
- Question 135What happens when an institution's reassuring words do not identify a decision, reason or next step?
10Consumer & enforcement15 question pages+
Open the Consumer & enforcement topic overview
- Question 136Who is contacting me, for whom, and about what claimed debt or obligation?
- Question 137What document creates the claimed liability?
- Question 138How was the amount calculated and what part is fees, interest or principal?
- Question 139Has the account been assigned, and what evidence identifies the current creditor?
- Question 140Which court order, decree, charge for payment, warrant or statutory power is relied upon, and which jurisdiction does it come from?
- Question 141Is the visitor a debt collector, sheriff officer, messenger-at-arms, enforcement agent, investigator or another role, and which jurisdiction applies?
- Question 142What powers does that role actually have in this jurisdiction?
- Question 143What notice was required and when was it served?
- Question 144What goods, premises or people fall within the power claimed?
- Question 145What identification and written authority can be checked?
- Question 146How can vulnerability, affordability or a disputed liability be recorded?
- Question 147Which complaints body covers the firm, creditor, public authority or individual officer?
- Question 148What deadline applies before the position changes?
- Question 149What should be preserved from calls, visits, letters, payment portals and doorbell footage?
- Question 150Where can independent debt, consumer or legal advice be obtained before agreeing or signing anything?