The Secretary of State, on the application of a police authority, may from time to time by rules under F1section 39 of this Act declare that any police cells or other premises in the possession of the police authority shall be a legal prison for the detention of prisoners before, during or after trial for any period not exceeding 30 days. Any such police cells or other premises are hereinafter referred to as legalised police cells.

Any person charged with or convicted of any crime or offence committed within F2the area of a councilwho might have been lawfully confined in a prison situated therein may be lawfully confined in any legalised police cells situated in that F3. . . area for such period as aforesaid.

The maintenance of prisoners confined in any legalised police cells shall be deemed to be the maintenance of prisoners under this Act:

The police authority, notwithstanding anything in this section, shall at all times have a prior claim to the uninterrupted use of any legalised police cells in their area.

For the purposes of this section the police authority of F2the area of a council in which there are any legalised police cells and all persons in their employment shall be subject to the provisions of this Act and any rules made thereunder.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to make any arrangements required for the removal of any prisoners confined in legalised police cells in the F4areas of the councils for Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands.

In this section the expression “police authority” means F5a council, except that where there is an amalgamation scheme in force under the M1Police (Scotland) Act 1967 it means a joint police F6board.

For the purposes of sections 8 and 39 of this Act, legalised police cells shall be deemed to be prisons.

In this section, “council” means a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.