The Act
3.The Act is in six parts and contains seven Schedules.
Part 1 deals with combatting crime and disorder. It introduces on the spot penalties for disorderly behaviour; measures dealing with the consumption of alcohol in designated public places, the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18, drunkenness and disorder on licensed premises, permitting the police to close down licensed premises where disorder is occurring and measures to permit the police to close unlicensed premises selling alcohol. It introduces travel restrictions on drug trafficking offenders and introduces measures relating to intimidating, harming or threatening witnesses in proceedings other than criminal proceedings. It includes measures relating to harassment of a person in their home, malicious communications and amends company law requirements relating to the disclosure of residential addresses. It introduces measures relating to advertisements relating to prostitution and the use of controlled drugs. It extends child curfew schemes to children under the age of 16 and enables the police to make such schemes.
Part 2 deals with powers of seizure. It contains measures which provide additional powers of seizure; measures dealing with the return or retention of seized property; remedies and safeguards and a number of miscellaneous and supplemental provisions about seizure.
Part 3 amends the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the Terrorism Act 2000. It has provisions relating to arrestable offences; detention and arrest; codes of practice; fingerprints and samples; powers of investigating officers of the Department of Trade and Industry and execution of process in other domestic jurisdictions.
Part 4 covers Police Training. It contains provisions for setting up a Central Police Training and Development Authority and other provisions about training.
Part 5 covers Police Organisation. It contains provisions about police authorities; a number of provisions about the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the National Crime Squad (NCS) service authorities; the directors general of NCIS and NCS; police ranks and police pensions.
Part 6 covers Miscellaneous and Supplemental provisions. It contains a provision requiring reasons to be given for granting bail, measures relating to secure remands and electronic tagging, and registration for criminal records purposes.
4.The notes which follow are organised to reflect the Parts and Chapters of the Act. There is an Overview for each Chapter followed by notes on the individual sections and the Schedules associated with them.
