Prevention of Crimes Act 1871

20 Interpretation: "Penal Servitude Acts".

The expression " the Penal Servitude Acts " means, as the case requires, the Penal Servitude Acts, 1853, 1857, and 1864, or any of them.

• The expression " crime " means, in England and Ireland, any felony, or the offence of uttering false or counterfeit coin, or of possessing counterfeit gold or silver coin, or the offence of obtaining goods or money by false pretences, or the offence of conspiracy to defraud, or any misdemeanor under the fifty-eighth section of the .Act passed in the session of the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth years of the reign of Her present Majesty, chapter ninety-six ; and in Scotland, any of the pleas of the Crown, any theft which, in respect of any aggravation, or of the amount in value of the money, goods, or thing stolen, may be punished with penal servitude, any forgery, and any uttering of any forged writing, falsehood, fraud, and. wilful imposition, uttering base coin, or the possession of such coin with intent to utter the same.

• The expression " offence " means any act or omission which is not a crime as defined by this Act, and is punishable on indictment or summary conviction.

• The expression " indictment " shall in Scotland include criminal letters and criminal

• The expression " police district " means—

  • In England,—

    (1)

    The city of London and the liberties thereof:

    (2)

    The metropolitan police district:

    (3)

    Elsewhere in England, any county, riding, part, division, or liberty of a county, borough, burgh, city, town, place, or union, or combination of places maintaining a separate police force; and all the police under one chief constable shall be deemed to constitute one force for the purposes of this definition :

  • In Scotland,—

    • Any county, city, burgh, town, place, of combination of places maintaining a separate police force; and all the police under one chief constable shall be deemed to constitute one force for the purposes of this definition :

  • In Ireland,—

    (1)

    The police district of Dublin metropolis:

    (2)

    Elsewhere in Ireland, any district, whether city, town, or country, over which is appointed a sub-inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary.

• The expression " chief officer of police " means—

  • In England,—

    (1)

    In the city of London and the liberties thereof, the commissioner of city police :

    (2)

    In the metropolitan police district, the commissioner of police of the metropolis:

    (3)

    Elsewhere in England, the chief constable, or head constable, or other officer, by whatever name called, having the chief command of the police in the police district in reference to which such expression occurs;

  • In Scotland,—

    • The chief constable, or head constable, or other officer, by whatever name called, having the chief command of the police in the police district in reference to which such expression occurs:

  • In Ireland,—

    (1)

    In the police district of Dublin metropolis, either of the commissioners of police for the said district:

    (2)

    Elsewhere in Ireland, in any other police district, the sub-inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary:

• Any act or thing by this Act authorised to be done by the chief officer of police may be done by any person authorised by him in that behalf.

• The expression. " Lord Lieutenant " includes the Lords Justices or other chief governors or governor of Ireland for the time being.