In my story, one of the MCs beats a bad guy to death in an alley then goes to hide out in a pub out on the street. While in the pub, the police and paramedics and the like come to assess the situation. A police officer comes into the pub. Now here's my question. Is it accurate for the police officer to keep everyone in the pub, no one is allowed to leave, until everyone has been spoken to about what they may have witnessed? Are the police allowed to do that or would people be allowed to leave if they didn't want to testify?
If it was a dead man simply sprawled out in the alley, probably not. If there was evidence that the man had been in the pub, however, an argument could be made for such a decision on the part of the police, I believe.
They would at least get contact info from patrons of the establishment I should think. It really depends on the setting as not all legal matters are handled the same in every country/time period. The officers involved may also be a factor in the situation is handled. Character flaws can lead to all sorts of different scenarios.
Hi, My thought would be that if the police have reason to believe that the bad guys are in the pub, they will try to keep everyone there, at least until they can obtain and confirm contact details. Cheers, Greg.
I don't know the answer to your Q. I have thoughts on this; if someone has just beaten up and killed someone else, would there not be evidence of this on the murderer e,g, blood, scratches, torn clothes? A pubic place (pup) would not seem an ideal place to hide imo. It is not easy to kill someone, not unless you are a sniper and just pick 'em off.
