Finance Act 1988

10 Power to search persons. U.K.

(1) In subsection (1) of section 164 of the M1 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (power to search persons)—

(a) after the words “person to whom this section applies” there shall be inserted the words “ (referred to in this section as the suspect) ”; and

(b) for the words from “any officer” onwards there shall be substituted the words “ an officer may exercise the powers conferred by subsection (2) below and, if the suspect is not under arrest, may detain him for so long as may be necessary for the exercise of those powers and (where applicable) the exercise of the rights conferred by subsection (3) below ”.

(2) For subsections (2) and (3) of that section there shall be substituted—

“(2) The officer may require the suspect—

(a) to permit such a search of any article which he has with him; and

(b) subject to subsection (3) below, to submit to such searches of his person, whether rub-down, strip or intimate,

as the officer may consider necessary or expedient; but no such requirement may be imposed under paragraph (b) above without the officer informing the suspect of the effect of subsection (3) below.

(3) If the suspect is required to submit to a search of his person, he may require to be taken—

(a) except in the case of a rub-down search, before a justice of the peace or a superior of the officer concerned; and

(b) in the excepted case, before such a superior;

and the justice or superior shall consider the grounds for suspicion and direct accordingly whether the suspect is to submit to the search.

(3A) A rub-down or strip search shall not be carried out except by a person of the same sex as the suspect; and an intimate search shall not be carried out except by a suitably qualified person.”

(3) After subsection (4) of that section there shall be inserted—

“(5) In this section—

• “intimate search” means any search which involves a physical examination (that is, an examination which is more than simply a visual examination) of a person’s body orifices;

• “rub-down search” means any search which is neither an intimate search nor a strip search;

• “strip search” means any search which is not an intimate search but which involves the removal of an article of clothing which—

(a) is being worn (wholly or partly) on the trunk; and

(b) is being so worn either next to the skin or next to an article of underwear;

“suitably qualified person” means a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse.

(6) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (4) of section 48 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987 (detention and questioning by customs officers), detention of the suspect under subsection (1) above shall not prevent his subsequent detention under subsection (1) of that section.”

Marginal Citations

M1 1979 c. 2.