The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989

[F1 Fingerprints and samples: supplementary provisions N.I.

63A.— [F2 (1) Where a person has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a recordable offence or has been charged with such an offence or has been informed that he will be reported for such an offence, fingerprints, impressions of footwear or samples or the information derived from samples taken under any power conferred by this Part from the person may be checked against—

(a) other fingerprints, impressions of footwear or samples to which the person seeking to check has access and which are held by or on behalf of any one or more relevant law-enforcement authorities or which are held in connection with or as a result of an investigation of an offence;

(b) information derived from other samples if the information is contained in records to which the person seeking to check has access and which are held as mentioned in sub-paragraph (a).

(1ZA) Fingerprints taken by virtue of Article 61(6A) may be checked against other fingerprints to which the person seeking to check has access and which are held by or on behalf of any one or more relevant law-enforcement authorities or which are held in connection with or as a result of an investigation of an offence.”.

(1A) In paragraphs (1) and (1ZA) “relevant law-enforcement authority” means—

(a) a police force;

(b) the Serious Organised Crime Agency;

(c) a public authority (not falling within sub-paragraph (a) or (b)) with functions in any part of the British Islands which consist of or include the investigation of crimes or the charging of offenders;

(d) any person with functions in any country or territory outside the United Kingdom which—

(i) correspond to those of a police force; or

(ii) otherwise consist of or include the investigation of conduct contrary to the law of that country or territory, or the apprehension of persons guilty of such conduct;

(e) any person with functions under any international agreement which consist of or include the investigation of conduct which is—

(i) unlawful under the law of one or more places;

(ii) prohibited by such an agreement; or

(iii) contrary to international law;

or the apprehension of persons guilty of such conduct.

(1B) The reference in paragraph (1A) to a police force is a reference to any of the following—

(a) the Police Service of Northern Ireland or the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve;

(b) any police force maintained under section 2 of the Police Act 1996 (c. 16);

(c) the metropolitan police force;

(d) the City of London police force;

(e) [F3 the Police Service of Scotland;]

(f) the Ministry of Defence Police;

(g) the Royal Navy Regulating Branch;

(h) the Royal Military Police;

(i) the Royal Air Force Police;

(j) the Royal Marines Police;

(k) the British Transport Police;

(l) the States of Jersey Police Force

(m) the salaried police force of the Island of Guernsey;

(n) the Isle of Man Constabulary.

(1C) Where—

(a) fingerprints, impressions of footwear or samples have been taken from any person in connection with the investigation of an offence but otherwise than in circumstances to which paragraph (1) applies, and

(b) that person has given his consent in writing to the use in a speculative search of the fingerprints, of the impressions of footwear or of the samples and of information derived from them,

the fingerprints or impressions of footwear or, as the case may be, those samples and that information may be checked against any of the fingerprints, impressions of footwear, samples or information mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) of that paragraph.

(1D) A consent given for the purposes of paragraph (1C) shall not be capable of being withdrawn.]

(2) Where a sample of hair other than pubic hair is to be taken the sample may be taken either by cutting hairs or by plucking hairs with their roots so long as no more are plucked than the person taking the sample reasonably considers to be necessary for a sufficient sample.

(3) Where any power to take a sample is exercisable in relation to a person the sample may be taken in a custodial establishment.

(4) Any constable may, within the allowed period, require a person who is neither in police detention nor held in custody by the police on the authority of a court to attend a police station in order to have a sample taken where—

(a) the person has been charged with a recordable offence or informed that he will be reported for such an offence and either he has not had a sample taken from him in the course of the investigation of the offence by the police or he has had a sample so taken from him but either it was not suitable for the same means of analysis or, though so suitable, the sample proved insufficient; or

(b) the person has been convicted of a recordable offence and either he has not has a sample taken from him since the conviction or he has had a sample taken from him (before or after his conviction) but either it was not suitable for the same means of analysis or, though so suitable, the sample proved insufficient.

(5) The period allowed for requiring a person to attend a police station for the purpose specified in paragraph (4) is—

(a) in the case of a person falling within sub-paragraph (a), one month beginning with the date of the charge or one month beginning with the date on which the appropriate officer is informed of the fact that the sample is not suitable for the same means of analysis or has proved insufficient, as the case may be;

(b) in the case of a person falling within sub-paragraph (b), one month beginning with the date of the conviction or one month beginning with the date on which the appropriate officer is informed of the fact that the sample is not suitable for the same means of analysis or has proved insufficient, as the case may be.

(6) A requirement under paragraph (4)—

(a) shall give the person at least 7 days within which he must so attend; and

(b) may direct him to attend at a specified time of day or between specified times of day.

(7) Any constable may arrest without a warrant a person who has failed to comply with a requirement under paragraph (4).

(8) In this Article “the appropriate officer” is—

(a) in the case of a person falling within paragraph (4)(a), the officer investigating the offence with which that person has been charged or as to which he was informed that he would be reported;

(b) in the case of a person falling within paragraph (4)(b), the officer in charge of the police station from which the investigation of the offence of which he was convicted was conducted.]

F1 1995 NI 17

F2 Art. 63A(1)-(1D) substituted (1.3.2007) for art. 63A(1)(1A) by Police and Criminal Evidence (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/288 (N.I. 2)), arts. 1(2), 34(2)

F3 Art. 63A(1B)(e) substituted (1.4.2013) by The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/602), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 70

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Art. 63A applied (with modifications) (18.5.2009) by Police and Criminal Evidence (Application to the Police Ombudsman) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 (S.R. 2009/142), art. 3, Sch. 1, Sch. 2