Official Secrets Act 1920

11 Short title, construction, and repeal.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Official Secrets Act, 1920, and shall be construed as one with the principal Act, and the principal Act and this Act may be cited- together as the Official Secrets Acts, 1911 and 1920.

Provided that—

(a) this Act shall not apply to any of the following Dominions, that is to say, the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia (which for this purpose shall be deemed to include Papua and Norfolk Island), the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Newfoundland, and India; and

(b) nothing in the principal Act shall be construed as preventing an offence under this Act which is to be tried summarily being tried in Scotland by the sheriff.

(2) The provisions of the principal Act mentioned in the Second Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, the expression " chief officer of police,"—

(a) with respect to any place in England other than the city of London, has the meaning assigned to it by the [53 & 54 Vict. c. 45.] Police Act, 1890;

(b) with respect to the city of London, means the Commissioner of the City Police;

(c) with respect to Scotland, has the meaning assigned to it by the [53 & 54 Vict. c. 67.] Police (Scotland) Act, 1890; and

(d) with respect to Ireland, means, in the police district of Dublin metropolis, either of the Commissioners of Police for that district, and elsewhere the district inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary.