In essence, a voluntary surrender is visiting the law enforcement to confess to a criminal offense you’ve fully commited, in contrast to looking forward to the law enforcement to seek out and arrest you.

What Happens If you Voluntarily Surrender to the Police?
The strategies you are going to facial area once you voluntarily surrender into the police are similar to for those who had been arrested.

The steps taken towards you count largely on no matter if you’ve committed an arrestable or non-arrestable offence.

Arrestable offences confer with offences that enable the police for making an arrest without a warrant, and incorporate offences like theft, theft and rape. The guideline is the fact offences which are punishable with at the least 3 a long time of imprisonment, or maybe a death sentence, are categorised as arrestable.

Then again, 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, amongst Some others.

If 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) examination or be involved in an identification parade, wherein you're lined up with Others to permit victims and eyewitnesses to detect you, also.

Ideally, you have to be rather well-versed along with your legal rights in custody, including the ideal to create a cellphone phone to All your family members or to consult a lawyer (offered that these functions will not likely inhibit the investigation). Having said that, it is important to note that your appropriate to refer to an attorney typically arises only right after interrogations are already executed.

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

In case you have dedicated a non-arrestable offence
With this state of affairs, even if you have turned your self in for the police, you will not be taken into custody quickly.

As a substitute, the law enforcement will Assemble witness experiences and record any parties concerned. Any achievable target(s) of the offence is going to be recommended to file a Justice of the peace’s Criticism for even further motion to generally be taken.

As soon as the Criticism has been received, the Magistrate will then determine what the most suitable program of action will probably be. It is only at this point that a warrant could be issued to get you into police custody, In the event the Magistrate directs the police to carry out an investigation into your Grievance.

Is Making a Voluntary Surrender a Mitigating Component?
Voluntarily surrendering to your law enforcement demonstrates a willingness to cooperate and suggests probable regret and repentance. Your surrender would also enable the law enforcement to take a position their time and assets into other investigations.

This might Perform a component within the judge’s choice and you may be offered a lighter sentence for the degree of cooperation.

Circumstance analyze: No jail time period just after voluntary surrender
In 2018, then 24-calendar year-outdated Ekawit Tangtrakarn, gained a $six,000 fantastic for defaulting on his Nationwide Services (NS) duties.

Although 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.

Even so, shedding his Singaporean citizenship did not alleviate him of his NS obligations, and Ekawit later voluntarily returned to Singapore to face his rates for defaulting on them. His voluntary return So held body weight being a mitigating element.

Consequently, after the court took other mitigating things under consideration, what might have been a highest 3-calendar year imprisonment time period plus a $10,000 good, being the most penalties underneath the Enlistment Act, grew to become a achievable 9-7 days jail expression that was ultimately reduced to the $six,000 fantastic.

Getting your charges taken into account for that reasons of sentencing

With regards to your conviction and you are struggling with a number of expenses, voluntarily admitting for your offences also helps prevent the problem in the prosecution Best criminal lawyer proceeding with Each individual demand in opposition to you separately. This permits for the potential for you possessing such rates taken into account for sentencing rather.

As a result, chances are you'll experience fewer rates or possibly a decreased sentence as compared to when you have been to deny or dispute the charges.

—

Voluntarily surrendering to your police may establish for being helpful afterwards within your case. Your admission on your crime could be properly-obtained and do the job as part of your favour, reducing your punishment considerably.

If you are however Uncertain regarding how to commence, you can have interaction a legal defence law firm to seek advice on your own place, and make clear your rights. A seasoned attorney will be able to finest prepare you on What to anticipate if you turn you in and how to tackle any investigations completed against you.