Part 8Investigations
C1Chapter 2England and Wales and Northern Ireland
Code of practice
377ZAF1Code of practice (Northern Ireland)
1
The Department of Justice in Northern Ireland must prepare a code of practice as to the exercise, in relation to Northern Ireland, by constables and accredited financial investigators of functions they have under this Chapter.
2
After preparing a draft of the code the Department of Justice—
a
must publish the draft;
b
must consider any representations made to the Department of Justice about the draft;
c
may amend the draft accordingly.
3
After the Department of Justice has proceeded under subsection (2) it must lay the code before the Northern Ireland Assembly.
4
When the Department of Justice has done so it may bring the code into operation on such day as the Department of Justice may appoint by order.
5
Section 41(3) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 applies for the purposes of subsection (3) in relation to the laying of a code as it applies in relation to the laying of a statutory document under an enactment.
6
A constable or accredited financial investigator must comply with a code of practice which is in operation under this section in the exercise of any function he has under this Chapter.
7
If a constable or accredited financial investigator fails to comply with any provision of such a code of practice he is not by reason only of that failure liable in any criminal or civil proceedings.
8
But the code of practice is admissible in evidence in such proceedings and a court may take account of any failure to comply with its provisions in determining any question in the proceedings.
9
The Department of Justice may from time to time revise a code previously brought into operation under this section; and the preceding provisions of this section apply to a revised code as they apply to the code as first prepared.
Pt. 8 Ch. 2: power to modify conferred (20.3.2015) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), ss. 47, 61(2); S.I. 2015/813, art. 2(b)