Part 1Traffic Officers

Miscellaneous and supplementary

10Offences

(1)A person who assaults a traffic officer in the execution of his duties is guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (or both).

(2)A person who resists or wilfully obstructs a traffic officer in the execution of his duties is guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks or to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (or both).

(3)A person who, with intent to deceive—

(a)impersonates a traffic officer,

(b)makes any statement or does any act calculated falsely to suggest that he is a traffic officer, or

(c)makes any statement or does any act calculated falsely to suggest that he has powers as a traffic officer that exceed the powers he actually has,

is guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 51 weeks or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (or both).

(4)A person to whom this subsection applies who fails to give his name and address to a traffic officer in uniform on being required to do so by that officer is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(5)Subsection (4) applies to a person whom the traffic officer reasonably believes to have been the driver of a vehicle at a time of a failure to comply with—

(a)a direction given in relation to that vehicle under a power conferred by section 6, or

(b)the indication given by a traffic sign placed under a power conferred by section 7.

(6)In the case of offences committed before the commencement of section 281(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003—

(a)subsections (1) and (3) apply as if for “51 weeks” there were substituted “six months”; and

(b)subsection (2) applies as if for “51 weeks” there were substituted “one month”.

11Uniform

The appropriate national authority shall determine the uniform for traffic officers designated by, or under an authorisation given by, that authority.

12Power to charge for traffic officer services provided on request

The appropriate national authority may, at the request of any person, agree to arrange for the services of a traffic officer to be provided to that person subject to the payment of a charge.

13Power to acquire land

In the Highways Act 1980 (c. 66), after section 245 (acquisition of land for buildings etc. required for discharge of functions of highway authority) there is inserted—

“245AAcquisition of land by Secretary of State or Assembly for buildings etc. needed for traffic management purposes

(1)The Secretary of State may acquire land which in his opinion is required for the provision of any buildings or facilities which are needed—

(a)for use by, or in connection with the activities of, traffic officers in England; or

(b)for other purposes connected with the management of traffic on highways in England for which he is the highway authority.

(2)The National Assembly for Wales may acquire land which in its opinion is required for the provision of any buildings or facilities which are needed—

(a)for use by, or in connection with the activities of, traffic officers in Wales; or

(b)for other purposes connected with the management of traffic on highways in Wales for which it is the highway authority.”

14Financial assistance to authorised persons

The appropriate national authority may give financial assistance to an authorised person, in such form and on such terms as it considers appropriate, in respect of the traffic officers designated by that person (including financial assistance in respect of equipment, accommodation or other facilities provided for those traffic officers).

15Interpretation of Part 1

In this Part—