Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c. 33)

Part VII U.K. Power To Arrest, Search and Fingerprint

Power to search and arrest U.K.

129 Search and arrest by warrant. U.K.

In the 1971 Act, after section 28A, insert—

“28B Search and arrest by warrant.

(1) Subsection (2) applies if a justice of the peace is, by written information on oath, satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that a person (“the suspect”) who is liable to be arrested for a relevant offence is to be found on any premises.

(2) The justice may grant a warrant authorising any immigration officer or constable to enter, if need be by force, the premises named in the warrant for the purpose of searching for and arresting the suspect.

(3) Subsection (4) applies if in Scotland the sheriff or a justice of the peace is by evidence on oath satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1).

(4) The sheriff or justice may grant a warrant authorising any immigration officer or constable to enter, if need be by force, the premises named in the warrant for the purpose of searching for and arresting the suspect.

(5) “Relevant offence” means an offence under section 24(1)(a), (b), (c), (d), (e) or (f), section 24A or section 25(2).”