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Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
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Changes over time for: Section 34
Version Superseded: 01/04/2003
Alternative versions:
- 01/02/1991- Amendment
- 10/04/1995- Amendment
- 01/02/2000- Amendment
- 01/02/2001- Amendment
- 14/12/2001
Point in time - 01/04/2003- Amendment
- 20/01/2004- Amendment
- 30/03/2004- Amendment
- 01/04/2007- Amendment
- 03/10/2011- Amendment
- 08/10/2012- Amendment
- 08/04/2013- Amendment
- 25/06/2013- Amendment
- 04/11/2015- Amendment
- 31/01/2017- Amendment
- 03/04/2017- Amendment
- 01/12/2021- Amendment
- 28/10/2022- Amendment
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Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 34 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 09 November 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
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34 Limitations on police detention.E+W
(1)A person arrested for an offence shall not be kept in police detention except in accordance with the provisions of this Part of this Act.
(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, if at any time a custody officer—
(a)becomes aware, in relation to any person in police detention, that the grounds for the detention of that person have ceased to apply; and
(b)is not aware of any other grounds on which the continued detention of that person could be justified under the provision of this part of this Act,
it shall be the duty of the custody officer, subject to subsection (4) below, to order his immediate release from custody.
(3)No person in police detention shall be released except on the authority of a custody officer at the police station where his detention was authorised or, if it was authorised at more than one station, a custody officer at the station where it was last authorised.
(4)A person who appears to the custody officer to have been unlawfully at large when he was arrested is not to be released under subsection (2) above.
(5)A person whose release is ordered under subsection (2) above shall be released without bail unless it appears to the custody officer—
(a)that there is a need for further investigation of any matter in connection with which he was detained at any time during that period of his detention; or
[F1(b)that, in respect of any such matter, proceedings may be taken against him or he may be reprimanded or warned under section 65 of the M1Crime and Disorder Act 1998]
and, if it so appears, he shall be released on bail.
(6)For the purposes of this Part of this Act a person arrested under [F2section 6(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1988] is arrested for an offence.
[F3(7)For the purposes of this Part of this Act a person who returns to a police station to answer to bail or is arrested under section 46A below shall be treated as arrested for an offence and the offence in connection with which he was granted bail shall be deemed to be that offence.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 34(5)(b) substituted (1.2.2001) by 2000 c. 43, s. 56(2); S.I. 2000/3302, art. 3(a)
F2Words substituted by Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (c. 54, SIF 107:1), s. 4, Sch. 3 para. 27(2)
F3S. 34(7) inserted (10.4.1995) by 1994 c. 33, s. 29(3)(5); S.I. 1995/721, art. 2, Sch.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Ss. 8, 9, 15, 16, 17(1)(b)(2) (4), 18-20, 21, 22(1)-(4), 28, 29, 30(1)-(4)(a)(5)-(11), 31, 32(1)-(9), 34(1)-(5), 35, 36, 37, 39, 40-44, 50, 51(d), 52, 54, 55, 64(1)-(4)(5)(6), Sch. 1 applied with modifications by S.I. 1985/1800, arts. 3-11, Schs. 1, 2
C2S. 34(1)-(5) modified (2.8.1993) by S.I. 1993/1813, art. 6, Sch. 3 para. 3(3).
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