Deer (Scotland) Act 1959

27 Powers of search and seizure

(1) A constable may seize any deer, firearm or ammunition, vehicle or boat liable to be forfeited in pursuance of this Act.

(2) A sheriff or any justice of the peace, if satisfied by information on oath that there is reasonable ground to suspect any offence against section twenty-four of this Act to have been committed and that evidence of 'the commission of the offence is to be found on any premises or in any vehicle or boat, may grant a warrant authorising any constable at any time or times within one week from the date of such warrant to enter, if necessary by force, the said premises and every part thereof or the said vehicle or boat for the purpose of detecting the offence.

(3) A constable authorised by any such warrant as aforesaid to search any premises or any such vehicle or boat may search every person who is found in, or whom he has reasonable ground to believe to have recently left or to be about to enter, those premises or that vehicle or boat as the case may be, and may seize any article found on the premises, or in the vehicle or boat, or on any such person, which he has reasonable ground for believing to be evidence of the commission of any such offence as aforesaid.

(4) Where a constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence against section twenty-four of this Act has been committed and that evidence of the commission of the offence is to be found in any vehicle or boat, and that by reason of urgency or other good cause it is impracticable to apply for a warrant to search such vehicle or boat, the said constable may stop and search that vehicle or boat and may exercise the like power of search or seizure in relation to the vehicle or boat as might be conferred under subsection (2) of this section by the warrant of the sheriff or of a justice of the peace.

(5) No female shall in pursuance of any search authorised by this section be searched except by a female.