The Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 2007

Production of certificates etc. to constables and authorised persons

72.—(1) A person to whom a certificate or other item prescribed under Article 70 is issued must, on being so required by a constable or any person authorised in writing by the Department in that behalf, produce the certificate or other item for examination.

(2) Where–

(a) a person’s registration is terminated; and

(b) he fails to satisfy an obligation imposed on him by Article 71,

a constable or a person authorised in writing by the Department in that behalf may require him to produce any such certificate or other item issued to him, and upon its being produced may seize it and deliver it to the Registrar.

(3) A person who is required under paragraph (1) or (2) to produce a certificate or other item and fails to do so is, subject to paragraph (4), guilty of an offence.

(4) In proceedings against any person for an offence under paragraph (3), it shall be a defence for him to show that–

(a) within 7 days beginning with the day following that on which the production of the certificate or other item was so required, it was produced–

(i) where the requirement was made by a constable, at a police station specified at the time the production was required by the person required to produce the certificate or other item;

(ii) where the requirement was made by a person other than a constable, at a place specified at that time by that person; or

(b) the certificate or other item was produced at that police station or, as the case may be, place as soon as was reasonably practicable; or

(c) it was not reasonably practicable for it to be produced at that police station or, as the case may be, place before the day on which the proceedings were commenced,

and for the purposes of this paragraph the service of a summons on the accused shall be treated as the commencement of the proceedings.