You are reading a single comment by @The_Seldom_Killer and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@The_Seldom_Killer
No, indeed they can't. But as mentioned upthread, if they have witnessed you commiting an offence (as opposed to crime) then it becomes offense to withhold information or provide false information.
If you say you don't have an address, you just confessed to vagrancy.
If you provide an address, they can always take you there to check. One might presume you would at least be carrying keys. They are a form of proof of ID. Even if you aren't carrying keys, it's not unreasonable that they might expect you to tell them your plans to regain entry to said address.
It's quite easy to see how withholding ID can turn into a big clusterfuck for yourself ending up with the police engaging in a book throwing exercise. No bell, that's an offence. No reflector, that's an offense. No reflectors on your pedals, that's an offence. Wasting police time, that's an offence. And so it goes.