What Happens If you Voluntarily Surrender into the Police

In essence, a voluntary surrender is going to the law enforcement to confess to against the law you’ve committed, versus expecting the police to search out and arrest you.

What Occurs Any time you Voluntarily Surrender towards the Law enforcement?
The procedures you may face if you voluntarily surrender to the police are similar to in the event you were arrested.

The actions taken against you rely mainly on no matter whether you’ve committed an arrestable or non-arrestable offence.

Arrestable offences confer with offences that enable the police to generate an arrest without a warrant, and incorporate offences like theft, theft and rape. The rule of thumb is the fact offences that are punishable with at the least three many years of imprisonment, or maybe a death sentence, are categorised as arrestable.

Alternatively, a non-arrestable offence is one in which the law enforcement will need to get a warrant in advance of carrying out an arrest. Offences that drop underneath this category are voluntarily leading to damage and dishonest misappropriation of property, amid Some others.

When you have dedicated an arrestable offence
Should you have committed an arrestable offence, the police will observe an arrest procedure that begins with getting you into custody just after your voluntary surrender.

The police will then launch an investigation, which involves having witness statements. Alternatively, you might have to generate a see statement In the event the law enforcement decides to go in advance with pressing expenses.

You could be needed to take a polygraph (or lie detector) check or be involved in an identification parade, wherein you are lined up with Others to permit victims and eyewitnesses to establish you, as well.

Ideally, you need to be somewhat well-versed together with your rights in custody, like the ideal to create a cellphone phone to All your family members or to refer to a lawyer (supplied that these acts will never inhibit the investigation). Having said that, it is important to note that your appropriate to refer to an attorney ordinarily arises only following interrogations have already been executed.

For more info, you might want to refer to our post on police custody in Singapore.

For those who have dedicated a non-arrestable offence
With this state of affairs, even When you've got turned yourself in towards the police, you won't be taken into custody immediately.

Alternatively, the police will gather witness reviews and file any functions associated. Any probable victim(s) of your offence might be encouraged to file a Magistrate’s Complaint for further motion to become taken.

Once the Complaint is acquired, the Justice of the peace will then come to a decision just what the most fitted study course of motion will probably be. It's only at this time that a warrant may be issued to just take you into law enforcement custody, In case the Justice of the peace directs the law enforcement to carry out an investigation to the Grievance.

Is Creating a Voluntary Surrender a Mitigating Aspect?
Voluntarily surrendering for the police demonstrates a willingness to cooperate and signifies probably remorse and repentance. Your surrender would also allow the police to invest their time and resources into other investigations.

This could play an element during the choose’s conclusion and you may well be specified a lighter sentence for your personal diploma of cooperation.

Circumstance review: No jail expression soon after voluntary surrender
In 2018, then 24-12 months-previous Ekawit Tangtrakarn, acquired a $6,000 good for defaulting on Criminal defence lawyer his National Service (NS) duties.

Whilst Ekawit largely lived in Thailand, he was registered to be a Singapore Citizen – earning him answerable for NS. In Oct 2015, he missing his Singaporean citizenship soon after failing to take the Oath of Renunciation, Allegiance and Loyalty inside of 12 months of his 21st birthday.

Having said that, getting rid of his Singaporean citizenship didn't decrease him of his NS obligations, and Ekawit later on voluntarily returned to Singapore to experience his expenses for defaulting on them. His voluntary return Hence held excess weight as a mitigating factor.

As a result, once the courtroom took other mitigating aspects into account, what could have been a most three-12 months imprisonment phrase along with a $10,000 great, staying the utmost penalties under the Enlistment Act, became a probable nine-week jail term which was finally diminished into a $6,000 fine.

Acquiring your fees taken into consideration for the applications of sentencing

In regards to your conviction so you are going through numerous rates, voluntarily admitting on your offences also stops the situation of your prosecution continuing with Each and every charge versus you individually. This enables for the possibility of you owning these kinds of expenses taken into consideration for sentencing as a substitute.

Therefore, you might face much less expenses or a minimized sentence when compared with in the event you were being to deny or dispute the fees.

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Voluntarily surrendering on the police may perhaps confirm for being helpful afterwards within your case. Your admission on your crime might be perfectly-acquired and function in the favour, minimizing your punishment significantly.

For anyone who is even now unsure regarding how to move forward, you can interact a criminal defence law firm to seek information with your position, together with clarify your legal rights. A seasoned attorney should be able to ideal prepare you on What to anticipate if you turn by yourself in and how to cope with any investigations carried out versus you.