The Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Giving notices to suspected offenders

Notices on-the-spot or at a police station

60.—(1) This Article applies where on any occasion a constable in uniform has reason to believe that a person he finds is committing or has on that occasion committed a fixed penalty offence.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the constable may give him a fixed penalty notice in respect of the offence.

(3) Where the offence appears to the constable to involve obligatory endorsement, the constable may only give him a fixed penalty notice under paragraph (2) in respect of the offence if—

(a) he produces his licence and its counterpart for inspection by the constable,

(b) the constable is satisfied, on inspecting the licence and its counterpart, that he would not be liable to be disqualified under Article 40 if he were convicted of that offence, and

(c) he surrenders his licence and its counterpart to the constable to be retained and dealt with in accordance with this Part.

(4) Where—

(a) the offence appears to the constable to involve obligatory endorsement, and

(b) the person concerned does not produce his licence and its counterpart for inspection by the constable,

the constable may give him a notice stating that if, within 7 days after the notice is given, he produces the notice together with his licence and its counterpart in person to a constable or authorised person at the police station specified in the notice (being a police station chosen by the person concerned) and the requirements of paragraph (5)(a) and (b) are met he will then be given a fixed penalty notice in respect of the offence.

(5) If a person to whom a notice has been given under paragraph (4) produces the notice together with his licence and its counterpart in person to a constable or authorised person at the police station specified in the notice within 7 days after the notice was so given to him and the following requirements are met, that is—

(a) the constable or authorised person is satisfied, on inspecting the licence and its counterpart, that he would not be liable to be disqualified under Article 40 if he were convicted of the offence, and

(b) he surrenders his licence and its counterpart to the constable or authorised person to be retained and dealt with in accordance with this Part,

the constable or authorised person must give him a fixed penalty notice in respect of the offence to which the notice under paragraph (4) relates.

(6) A notice under paragraph (4) shall give such particulars of the circumstances alleged to constitute the offence to which it relates as are necessary for giving reasonable information about the alleged offence.

(7) A licence and a counterpart of a licence surrendered in accordance with this Article must be sent to the fixed penalty clerk.

(8) In this Part “authorised person”, in relation to a fixed penalty notice given at a police station, means a person authorised for the purposes of this Article by or on behalf of the Chief Constable.

(9) In determining for the purposes of paragraphs (3)(b) and (5)(a) whether a person convicted of an offence would be liable to disqualification under Article 40, it shall be assumed, in the case of an offence in relation to which a range of numbers is shown in the last column of Part I or Part II of Schedule 1, that the number of penalty points to be attributed to the offence would be the lowest in the range.

Effect of fixed penalty notice given under Article 60

61.—(1) This Article applies where a fixed penalty notice relating to an offence has been given to any person under Article 60, and references in this Article to the recipient are to the person to whom the notice was given.

(2) No proceedings shall be brought against the recipient for the offence to which the fixed penalty notice relates unless before the end of the suspended enforcement period he has given notice requesting a hearing in respect of that offence in the manner specified in the fixed penalty notice.

(3) Where—

(a) the recipient has not given notice requesting a hearing in respect of the offence to which the fixed penalty notice relates in the manner so specified, and

(b) the fixed penalty has not been paid in accordance with this Part before the end of the suspended enforcement period,

a sum equal to the fixed penalty plus one-half of the amount of that penalty may be registered under Article 76 for enforcement against the recipient as a fine.

Licence receipts

62.—(1) A constable or authorised person to whom a person surrenders his licence and its counterpart on receiving a fixed penalty notice given to him under Article 60 must issue a receipt for the licence and its counterpart under this Article.

(2) The fixed penalty clerk may, on the application of a person who has surrendered his licence and its counterpart in those circumstances, issue a new receipt for them.

(3) A receipt issued under this Article ceases to have effect—

(a) if issued by a constable or authorised person, on the expiration of the period of one month beginning with the date of issue or such longer period as may be prescribed, and

(b) if issued by the fixed penalty clerk, on such date as he may specify in the receipt,

or, if earlier, on the return of the licence and its counterpart to the licence holder.

Endorsement of licences without hearings

63.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), where a person (referred to in this Article as “the licence holder”) has surrendered his licence and its counterpart to a constable or authorised person on the occasion when he was given a fixed penalty notice under Article 60, the counterpart of his licence may be endorsed in accordance with this Article without any order of a court.

(2) The counterpart of a person’s licence may not be endorsed under this Article if at the end of the suspended enforcement period—

(a) he has given notice, in the manner specified in the fixed penalty notice, requesting a hearing in respect of the offence to which the fixed penalty notice relates, and

(b) the fixed penalty has not been paid in accordance with this Part.

(3) On the payment of the fixed penalty before the end of the suspended enforcement period, the fixed penalty clerk must endorse the relevant particulars on the counterpart of the licence and return it together with the licence to the licence holder.

(4) Where any sum determined by reference to the fixed penalty is registered under Article 76 for enforcement against the licence holder as a fine, the fixed penalty clerk must, on the registration of that sum, endorse the relevant particulars on the counterpart of the licence and return it together with the licence to the licence holder.

(5) References in this Article to the relevant particulars are to—

(a) particulars of the offence, including the date when it was committed, and

(b) the number of penalty points to be attributed to the offence.

(6) On endorsing the counterpart of a person’s licence under this Article the fixed penalty clerk must send notice of the endorsement and of the particulars endorsed to the Department.

Effect of endorsement without hearing

64.—(1) Where the counterpart of a person’s licence is endorsed under Article 63 he shall be treated for the purposes of Articles 16(4), 30, 31 and 50 of this Order and of the [1978 NI 27.] Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 as if—

(a) he had been convicted of the offence,

(b) the endorsement had been made in pursuance of an order made on his conviction by a court under Article 49, and

(c) the particulars of the offence endorsed by virtue of Article 63(5)(a) were particulars of his conviction of that offence.

(2) In relation to any endorsement of the counterpart of a person’s licence under Article 63—

(a) the reference in Article 50(3) to the order for endorsement, and

(b) the references in Article 16(4) to any order made on a person’s conviction,

are to be read as a reference to the endorsement itself.

Notification of court and date of trial

65.—(1) On an occasion when a person is given a fixed penalty notice under Article 60 in respect of an offence, he may be given written notification specifying the court of summary jurisdiction by which and the date on which the offence will be tried if he gives notice requesting a hearing in respect of the offence as permitted by the fixed penalty notice.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), where—

(a) a person has been notified in accordance with this Article of the court and date of trial of an offence in respect of which he has been given a fixed penalty notice, and

(b) he has given notice requesting a hearing in respect of the offence as permitted by the fixed penalty notice,

the provisions of the [1981 NI 26.] Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 shall apply as mentioned in paragraph (3).

(3) Those provisions are to have effect for the purpose of any proceedings in respect of that offence as if—

(a) the allegation in the fixed penalty notice with respect to that offence were a complaint duly made in accordance with Article 20 of that Order, and

(b) the notification of the court and date of trial were a summons duly issued on that complaint by a justice of the peace of the county court division in which the court of summary jurisdiction notified as the court of trial is situated, requiring the person notified to appear before that court to answer to that complaint and duly served on him on the date on which the notification was given.

(4) If, in a case within paragraph (2), notice is served by or on behalf of the Chief Constable on the person who gave notice requesting a hearing stating that no proceedings are to be brought in respect of the offence concerned, that paragraph does not apply and no such proceedings are to be brought against the person who gave notice requesting a hearing.

(5) Article 25A of that Order (proceedings invalid where accused did not know of them) is not applied by paragraph (2) in a case where a person has been notified in accordance with this Article of the court and date of trial of an offence.

Fixed penalty notice mistakenly given: exclusion of fixed penalty procedures

66.—(1) This Article applies where, on inspection of a licence and its counterpart sent to him under Article 60(7), it appears to the fixed penalty clerk that the person whose licence it is would be liable to be disqualified under Article 40 if he were convicted of the offence in respect of which the fixed penalty notice was given.

(2) The fixed penalty clerk must not endorse the counterpart of the licence under Article 63 but must instead send it together with the licence to the Chief Constable.

(3) Nothing in this Part prevents proceedings being brought in respect of the offence in respect of which the fixed penalty notice was given where those proceedings are commenced before the end of the period of 6 months beginning with the date on which that notice was given.

(4) Where proceedings in respect of that offence are commenced before the end of that period, the case is from then on to be treated in all respects as if no fixed penalty notice had been given in respect of the offence.

(5) Accordingly, where proceedings in respect of that offence are so commenced, any action taken in pursuance of any provision of this Part by reference to that fixed penalty notice shall be void (including, but without prejudice to the generality of the preceding provision—

(a) the registration under Article 76 of any sum, determined by reference to the fixed penalty for that offence, for enforcement against the person whose licence it is as a fine, and

(b) any proceedings for enforcing payment of any such sum within the meaning of Articles 78 and 79 (defined in Article 79(5))).

(6) In determining for the purposes of paragraph (1) whether a person convicted of an offence would be liable to disqualification under Article 40, it shall be assumed, in the case of an offence in relation to which a range of numbers is shown in the last column of Part I or Part II of Schedule 1, that the number of penalty points to be attributed to the offence would be the lowest in the range.