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Part 8Miscellaneous

Chapter 2Other

Border controls

98General information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the UK

(1)After section 157 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (c. 2) (general powers: bonds and security) insert—

157AGeneral information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the United Kingdom

(1)The proper officer of Revenue and Customs may require any person entering or leaving the United Kingdom—

(a)to produce the person’s passport or travel documents for examination, or

(b)to answer any questions put by the proper officer of Revenue and Customs about the person’s journey.

(2)In subsection (1) “passport” means—

(a)a United Kingdom passport (within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971),

(b)a passport issued by or on behalf of the authorities of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, or by or on behalf of an international organisation, or

(c)a document that can be used (in some or all circumstances) instead of a passport.

(3)Subsections (1) and (2) apply in relation to a transit air passenger arriving at the passenger’s final destination in the United Kingdom as they apply in relation to a person entering the United Kingdom.

(4)For the purposes of subsection (3) a transit air passenger is a person—

(a)who has arrived by air in the United Kingdom; and

(b)whose journey is continued or resumed by air to a destination in the United Kingdom which is not the place where the person is regarded for the purposes of this section as entering the United Kingdom;

and the passenger’s final destination is the destination of the continued or resumed journey.

(2)In section 4(3) of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 (c. 48) (non-application of enforcement powers in the Act of 1979 to certain movements between member States), after paragraph (g), insert—

(ga)section 157A (general information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the United Kingdom).

99Powers in relation to cash

(1)After section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (c. 2) (general powers etc: powers to search persons) insert—

164APowers to search for cash

(1)The provisions of this Act which fall within subsection (2) (search powers for officers of Revenue and Customs etc.) apply in accordance with subsection (3)—

(a)for the purposes of searching for cash—

(i)which is recoverable property or is intended by any person for use in unlawful conduct; and

(ii)the amount of which is not less than the minimum amount;

(b)for the purposes of searching for cash to ensure compliance with the Cash Control Regulation; or

(c)for purposes connected to any such purposes.

(2)The provisions of this Act which fall within this subsection are—

(a)section 28(1) (powers of access etc.);

(b)section 77(1) and (2) (information powers);

(c)section 159(1) to (4) (powers to examine and take account of goods); and

(d)section 164 (power to search persons including intimate searches).

(3)Those provisions apply for the purposes mentioned in subsection (1) as if—

(a)any reference in them to goods included a reference to cash; and

(b)in section 164(1)—

(i)the reference to an article were a reference to cash; and

(ii)paragraphs (a) and (b) were omitted.

(4)The Treasury may by regulations provide for—

(a)any provision of this Act to apply with modifications for the purposes of the provisions applied by subsections (1) to (3), or

(b)any other enactment to apply, with or without modifications, for the purposes of the provisions so applied.

(5)This section does not limit the scope of any powers that exist apart from this section (whether under this Act or otherwise).

(6)In this section—

(2)In section 4(2) of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 (c. 48) (cases where enforcement powers exercisable)—

(a)after “member States;” at the end of paragraph (b) omit “or”, and

(b)after “Kingdom” at the end of paragraph (c) insert ; or

(d)searching for cash that is recoverable property or intended for use in unlawful conduct.

(3)In section 4(5) of that Act (interpretation)—

(a)after “In this section—”, insert—

(b)after “Economic Community;” omit “and”, and

(c)after “1979;” insert—

(4)After section 105(5) of the Postal Services Act 2000 (c. 26) (application of customs and excise enactments to certain postal packets) insert—

(6)And in this section “goods” includes cash (within the meaning of section 289(6) and (7) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002).

100Lawful interception of postal items by Revenue and Customs

(1)After section 3(3) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (c. 23) (lawful interception without an interception warrant) insert—

(3A)Conduct consisting in the interception of a communication in the course of its transmission by means of a public postal service is authorised by this section if it is conduct—

(a)under section 159 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 as applied by virtue of—

(i)section 105 of the Postal Services Act 2000 (power to open postal items etc.); or

(ii)that section 105 and another enactment; and

(b)by an officer of Revenue and Customs.

(2)After section 17(3)(b) of that Act (exclusion of matters from legal proceedings) insert—

(ba)any person deemed to be the proper officer of Revenue and Customs by virtue of section 8(2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979;.

101Prohibition on importation or exportation of false identity documents etc

(1)The importation or exportation of any identity document to which this section applies is prohibited.

(2)This section applies to—

(a)any false identity document,

(b)any identity document issued or obtained in contravention of the law of the country or territory under whose jurisdiction the document is issued, and

(c)any identity document intended to be used (whether by itself or otherwise and with or without modifications)—

(i)to establish for unlawful purposes a false identity or address, or

(ii)to provide for such purposes evidence of a false identity or address.

(3)In this section—

102Prohibition on importation of offensive weapons

(1)After section 141ZA of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33) insert—

141ZBImportation of offensive weapons: prohibition

(1)The importation of an offensive weapon is prohibited, subject to section 141ZC.

(2)In this section “offensive weapon” means a weapon of a description specified in an order made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this subsection.

(3)The Secretary of State may not specify any of the following under subsection (2)—

(a)a weapon subject to the Firearms Act 1968;

(b)a crossbow.

(4)Orders under this section are to be made by statutory instrument.

(5)A statutory instrument containing an order under this section may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(6)In the application of this section to Northern Ireland the reference in subsection (3) to the Firearms Act 1968 is to be construed as a reference to the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004.

141ZCProhibition on importation of offensive weapons: exceptions

(1)The importation of a weapon is not prohibited by section 141ZB if one of the following exceptions applies.

(2)Exception 1 is that the weapon is imported for the purposes only of functions carried out on behalf of—

(a)the Crown, or

(b)a visiting force.

(3)Exception 2 is that the weapon is imported for the purposes only of making it available to a museum or gallery which does not distribute profits.

(4)Exception 3 is that the weapon is imported for the purposes only of making it available for one or more of the following—

(a)theatrical performances;

(b)rehearsals of theatrical performances;

(c)the production of films;

(d)the production of television programmes.

(5)In subsection (4)—

(6)The Secretary of State may by order provide for further exceptions from the prohibition on importation of weapons under section 141ZB.

(7)Orders under this section are to be made by statutory instrument.

(8)A statutory instrument containing an order under this section may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(9)Expressions used in this section and in section 141 have the same meaning in this section as in that section.

141ZDProhibition on importation of offensive weapons: burdens of proof

(1)This section applies for the purposes of proceedings for an offence under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 relating to a weapon the importation of which is prohibited by section 141ZB above.

(2)An exception conferred by or under section 141ZC is to be taken not to apply unless sufficient evidence is adduced to raise an issue with respect to the exception.

(3)Where sufficient evidence is adduced to raise an issue with respect to an exception, it is to be taken to apply unless the contrary is proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

(2)Subsection (3) applies where in any proceedings—

(a)a person (“the defendant”) is charged in respect of the same conduct with—

(i)an offence under any provision of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 by virtue of the prohibition on importation in section 141(4) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 as it had effect before its repeal by this Act (“the old offence”), and

(ii)an offence under that provision of the 1979 Act by virtue of the prohibition on importation in section 141ZB(1) of the 1988 Act (“the new offence”),

(b)the only thing preventing the defendant from being found guilty of the new offence is the fact that it has not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the conduct took place after the commencement of this section, and

(c)the only thing preventing the defendant from being found guilty of the old offence is the fact that it has not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the conduct took place before the commencement of this section.

(3)For the purpose of determining the guilt of the defendant it is to be conclusively presumed that the conduct took place after the commencement of this section.

(4)A reference in subsection (2) to an offence includes a reference to—

(a)aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of the offence,

(b)conspiracy to commit the offence,

(c)an attempt to commit the offence,

(d)incitement to commit the offence, and

(e)an offence under Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 (encouraging or assisting crime) in relation to the offence.