Section 10: Criminal investigations into terrorism-related activity
83.Subsections (1), (2) and (3) set out a requirement on the Secretary of State to consult the chief officer of the police force which is investigating or would investigate any offence relating to terrorism suspected to have been committed by the individual, on whether there is evidence that could realistically be used to prosecute the individual. The Secretary of State must do so before imposing a TPIM notice in an urgent case or before seeking the court’s permission to do so in all other cases.
84.Subsections (5), (6) and (7) place duties on the relevant chief officer of police (‘police force’ and ‘chief officer of police’ are defined in subsection (10)). On being consulted by the Secretary of State under subsection (1), the chief officer is under a statutory duty to consult the relevant prosecuting authority (for example in England and Wales the Director of Public Prosecutions – in other words the Crown Prosecution Service). The chief officer must also keep the investigation of the individual’s conduct under review, with a view to bringing a prosecution for a terrorism-related offence and must report on this to the Secretary of State while the TPIM notice remains in force. In relation to this continuing duty of review, the chief officer must consult the relevant prosecuting authority as appropriate.
