• in a public place; or
• anywhere – if the police believe you have committed a serious crime.

A police officer can stop a vehicle any time and ask to see the driver’s licence. If they have good reason to think your car contains stolen goods, drugs or weapons, they could search it even if you are not there. But the police must leave a notice saying what they have done.

If the search causes damage, you can ask for compensation but only if the police didn’t find anything to connect you to a crime.