The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2003

Powers of British sea-fishery officers on land

15.—(1) For the purpose of enforcing articles 3 to 10 of this Order or any equivalent provisions or to facilitate the cross-checking provided for in paragraph 18 of Annex XVII, any British sea-fishery officer may–

(a) enter and inspect at any reasonable time any premises used for carrying on any business in connection with the operation of fishing boats or activities connected therewith or ancillary thereto or with the treatment, storage or sale of fish;

(b) take with that officer such other persons as appear to that officer to be necessary and any equipment or materials;

(c) examine any fishery product on the premises and require persons on the premises to do anything which appears to that officer to be necessary for facilitating the examination;

(d) carry out at such premises such other inspections or tests as may reasonably be necessary;

(e) require any person not to remove or cause to be removed any fishery product from such premises for such a period as may be reasonably necessary for the purposes of establishing whether a relevant offence has at any time been committed;

(f) require any person on the premises to produce any documents which are in the custody or possession of that person relating to the catching, landing, transportation, trans shipment, sale or disposal of any fish or to the entry to, or exit from, any port or harbour by any fishing vessel;

(g) for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person on the premises has committed a relevant offence, search the premises for any such document and may require any person on the premises to do anything which appears to that officer to be necessary for facilitating the search;

(h) inspect and take copies of any such document produced to officer or found on the premises;

(i) require any appropriate or responsible person to render any such document on a computer system into a visible and legible form, including requiring it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and

(j) if that officer has reason to suspect that a relevant offence has been committed, seize and detain any such document produced or found on the premises for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the offence.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) shall also apply in relation to any land used in connection with any of the activities described in paragraph (1), or in respect of any vehicle which a British sea-fishery officer has reasonable cause to believe is being used to transport fishery products, as they apply in relation to premises and, in the case of a vehicle, shall include power to require the vehicle to stop at any time and, if necessary, direct the vehicle to some other place to facilitate the inspection.

(3) If a sheriff by information on oath is satisfied–

(a) that there are reasonable grounds to believe that any documents or other items which a British sea-fishery officer has power under this article to inspect are on any premises and that their inspection is likely to disclose evidence of the commission of a relevant offence; and

(b) either–

(i) that admission to the premises has been or is likely to be refused and that notice of intention to apply for a warrant has been given to the occupier;

(ii) that an application for admission or the giving of such notice would defeat the object of the entry; or

(iii) that the premises are unoccupied, or the occupier is temporarily absent and it might defeat the object of the entry to await the return of the occupier,

the sheriff may by signed warrant, valid for a period of no more than one month, authorise a British sea-fishery officer to enter the premises, if need be by reasonable force, accompanied by such persons as appear to the officer to be necessary.