Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996

20 Power to search for munitions, radio transmitters and scanning receivers

(1) Any member of Her Majesty’s forces on duty or any constable may enter any premises or other place other than a dwelling-house for the purpose of ascertaining—

(a) whether there are any munitions unlawfully at that place; or

(b) whether there is a transmitter at that place;

and may search the place for any munitions or transmitter with a view to exercising the powers conferred by subsection (7).

(2) Any member of Her Majesty’s forces on duty authorised by a commissioned officer of those forces or any constable authorised by an officer of the Royal Ulster Constabulary not below the rank of inspector may enter any dwelling-house in which there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there are unlawfully any munitions or that there is a transmitter and may search it for any munitions or transmitter with a view to exercising the said powers.

(3) If it is necessary for the purpose of effectively carrying out a search—

(a) a member of Her Majesty’s forces or constable exercising the powers conferred by subsection (1) may be accompanied by other persons; and

(b) any authority given under subsection (2) may authorise other persons to accompany the member of Her Majesty’s forces or constable to whom the authority is given.

(4) If the member of Her Majesty’s forces or constable carrying out a search under subsection (1) or (2) reasonably believes that it is necessary to do so for the purpose of effectively carrying out the search or of preventing the frustration of its object he may—

(a) require any person who when the search begins is on, or during the search enters, the premises or other place where the search is carried out (“the place of search”) to remain in, or in a specified part of, that place, to refrain from entering a specified part of it or to go from one specified part of it to another specified part;

(b) require any person who is not resident in the place of search to refrain from entering it; and

(c) use reasonable force to secure compliance with any such requirement.

(5) No requirement imposed under subsection (4) shall have effect after the conclusion of the search in relation to which it was imposed; and no such requirement shall be imposed or have effect after the end of the period of four hours beginning with the time when that or any other requirement was first imposed under that subsection in relation to the search in question but an officer of the Royal Ulster Constabulary not below the rank of superintendent may extend that period by a further period of four hours if he reasonably believes that it is necessary to do so for the purpose mentioned in that subsection.

(6) Any member of Her Majesty’s forces on duty or any constable may—

(a) stop any person in any public place and, with a view to exercising the powers conferred by subsection (7), search him for the purpose of ascertaining whether he has any munitions unlawfully with him or any transmitter with him; and

(b) with a view to exercising the said powers—

(i) search any person not in a public place who he has reasonable grounds to suspect has any munitions unlawfully with him or any transmitter with him; and

(ii) search any person entering or found in a dwelling-house entered under subsection (2).

(7) Where a member of Her Majesty’s forces or a constable is empowered by virtue of any provision of this Act to search any premises or other place or any person—

(a) he may seize any munitions found in the course of the search (unless it appears to him that the munitions are being, have been and will be used only lawfully) and may retain and, if necessary, destroy them; and

(b) he may seize any transmitter found in the course of the search (unless it appears to him that the transmitter has been, is being and is likely to be used only lawfully) and may retain it.

(8) The preceding provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to scanning receivers as they have effect in relation to transmitters.

(9) In this section—

• “munitions” means—

  (a)

  explosives, explosive substances, firearms and ammunition; and

  (b)

  anything used or capable of being used in the manufacture of any explosive, explosive substance, firearm or ammunition;

• “scanning receiver” means—

  (a)

  any apparatus for wireless telegraphy designed or adapted for the purpose of automatically monitoring selected frequencies, or automatically scanning a selected range of frequencies, so as to enable transmissions on any of those frequencies to be detected or intercepted; or

  (b)

  part of any such apparatus;

• “transmitter” means any apparatus for wireless telegraphy designed or adapted for emission, as opposed to reception, or part of any such apparatus;

• “wireless telegraphy” has the same meaning as in section 19(1) of the [1949 c. 54.] Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.