Armed Forces Act 1996

The 1955 Acts

1 (1) Paragraph 4 of Schedule 5A to each of the 1955 Acts (power of court to impose community supervision order on trial of civilian) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In sub-paragraph (1), for the words “12 months” there shall be substituted the words “three years”.

(3) After sub-paragraph (7) there shall be inserted the following sub-paragraphs—

“(7A) Without prejudice to any other power of arrest, a person found committing an offence under sub-paragraph (6) above or alleged to have committed or reasonably suspected of having committed any such offence, may be arrested by a provost officer, by a warrant officer or non-commissioned officer legally exercising authority under a provost officer or on his behalf, or by order of any officer of the regular forces.

(7B) The power of arrest given to any person by sub-paragraph (7A) above may be exercised either personally or by ordering into arrest the person to be arrested or by giving orders for that person’s arrest.

(7C) A person shall not be arrested by virtue of sub-paragraph (7A) above after the end of a period of 6 months beginning with the end of the supervision period.

(7D) No proceedings shall be taken against a person for an offence under sub-paragraph (6) above unless the trial is begun within 6 months after the end of the supervision period.”

(4) In sub-paragraph (10), for “£50” there shall be substituted “£1,000”.

2 In section 209 of each of the 1955 Acts (application to civilians), after subsection (3B) there shall be inserted the following subsection—

“(3C) In its application to a person subject to a community supervision order under paragraph 4 of Schedule 5A to this Act, section 132 of this Act shall have effect as if subsections (3) and (3A) were omitted.”