Arresting, interviewing and charging suspects

formal to arrest someone

formal the act of arresting someone

if the police arrest someone, they take that person to a police station because they believe he or she has committed a crime. Someone who has been arrested is under arrest, and if they are not allowed to leave, they are in custody

arrest (noun)

a situation in which the police arrest someone that they believe has committed a crime

body search (noun)

a search of someone’s body and clothing for weapons or drugs, made by a police officer or other official

book (verb)

if the police book someone, they take them to the police station and make a record of their crime

bounty hunter (noun)

someone who tries to catch criminals in order to receive a reward

breathalyse ()

a British spelling of breathalyze

breathalyze (verb)

if police officers breathalyze a driver, they use a breathalyzer to check how much alcohol the driver has drunk

breath test (noun)

a test in which police officers check how much alcohol a driver has drunk using a breathalyzer

bust (noun)

informal an occasion when the police go into a place to search it for illegal goods or activities, especially those relating to drugs

bust (verb)

informal if someone is busted, they are arrested, especially for offences relating to drugs

bust (verb)

informal if the police bust a place, they search it for illegal goods or activities, especially those relating to drugs

catch (verb)

if the police catch someone, they find them and arrest them

catch up with ()

to find and arrest someone who has committed a crime after searching for them or chasing them

caution (noun)

British an official warning that the police give when they arrest someone, to tell them that anything they say may be used as evidence against them

caution (noun)

British an official warning from the police to someone who has broken the law, stating that they will be punished if they do it again

caution (verb)

British when the police caution someone they are arresting, they warn them officially that anything they say may be used as evidence against them

caution (verb)

when the police caution someone who has broken the law, they warn them officially that they will be punished if they do it again

charge (noun)

an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime

chargesheet (verb)

Indian English to accuse someone officially of committing a crime and ask them to reply to the charge or defend themselves

charge sheet (noun)

an official record in which the police write down the names of people they have accused of a crime

citizen’s arrest (noun)

an arrest made by an ordinary person, not a police officer

cleanskin (noun)

informal someone who the police have no information about because they have not been arrested in the past

collar (noun)

very informal an occasion when the police arrest someone

collar (noun)

someone arrested by the police

collar (verb)

very informal to catch or arrest someone

come for ()

to come to a place in order to arrest someone

cuff (verb)

informal to handcuff someone

dawn raid (noun)

a military or police attack made at the beginning of the day, so that the people being attacked will not be prepared for it

detain (verb)

to keep someone in a police station or prison and not allow them to leave

detention (noun)

the state of being kept in a police station or prison and not being allowed to leave

do (verb)

Britishinformal if the police do you for a crime, they catch you and you are punished

fingerprint (verb)

if the police fingerprint someone, they make a copy of their fingerprints

give up ()

if you give yourself up, you allow yourself to be arrested by the police

go after ()

to try to arrest or punish someone

handcuff (verb)

to put handcuffs on someone

identity parade (noun)

British a process in which you look at a line of people to see if you recognize the person who committed a crime

interview (noun)

an official meeting in which the police ask someone questions about a crime

interview (verb)

if the police interview someone about a crime, they ask them questions about it

line-up (noun)

mainly American a line of people that the police use to find out if someone who saw a crime recognizes any of them. The usual British word is identity parade.

make something stick ()

to get enough evidence to prove that someone is guilty of a crime

Miranda Rights (noun)

in the US, the legal rights of a person who is arrested by the police, including the right to be silent and to ask for the advice of a lawyer

nab (verb)

informal to catch or arrest someone who has done something wrong or illegal

nick (verb)

Britishinformal to arrest someone

on suspicion of something ()

because the police or the authorities think you have committed a crime

pick up (informal)

informal to arrest someone and take them away in a car

pull in (informal)

informal if the police pull someone in, they arrest them

pull over ()

if the police pull a vehicle over, they order its driver to stop at the side of the road

question (verb)

if the police question someone, they ask them questions to find out what they know about a crime

questioning (noun)

a situation in which people, for example the police, ask someone questions

raid (noun)

an action by police officers in which they suddenly enter a place in order to arrest people or search for something such as illegal drugs

raid (verb)

to use force to enter a place suddenly in order to arrest people or search for something such as illegal drugs

rap (noun)

Americaninformal a statement by the police accusing someone of committing a crime

rap sheet (noun)

Americaninformal a list of someone’s arrests and the crimes that they are guilty of committing

round up ()

to find and arrest people

run in ()

to find a criminal and take them to a police station.

statement (noun)

a formal written account of events that a person who has seen a crime or who has been accused of a crime gives to the police

suspect (noun)

someone who the police believe may have committed a crime

suspected (adjective)

a suspected criminal is one who the courts have not yet proved guilty

trap (verb)

to catch someone such as a criminal, especially by forcing them into a place that they cannot escape from

vigilante (noun)

someone who tries to catch and punish criminals by themselves, without waiting for the police

Synonyms and antonyms of Arresting, interviewing and charging suspects in British Thesaurus