Prevention of Crimes Act 1871

20 Interpretation. “Offence:” “Indictment:” “Police district:” “Chief officer of police:” U.K.

. . . F1

• The expression “crime” means, in England and Ireland, any felony, or the offence of uttering false or counterfeit coin, or of possessing counterfeit gold or silver coin, or the offence of obtaining goods or money by false pretences, or the offence of conspiracy to defraud, or any misdemeanour under the fifty–eighth section of the M1 Larceny Act 1861; and in Scotland, any of the pleas of the Crown, any theft which, in respect of any aggravation, or of the amount in value of the money, goods, or thing stolen, may be punished with penal servitude, any forgery, and any uttering of any forged writing, falsehood, fraud, and wilful imposition, uttering base coin, or the possession of such coin with intent to utter the same.

• The expression “offence” means any act or omission which is not a crime as defined by this Act, and is punishable on indictment or summary conviction.

• The expression “indictment” shall in Scotland include criminal letters and criminal libel.

• The expression “police district” means—

• . . . F2

• In Ireland,—

  (1)

  The police district of Dublin metropolis:

  (2)

  Elsewhere in Ireland, any district, whether city, town, or country, over which is appointed a sub–inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary.

• The expression “chief officer of police” means—

• . . . F3

• In Ireland,—

  (1)

  In the police district of Dublin metropolis, either of the commissioners of police for the said district:

  (2)

  Elsewhere in Ireland, in any other police district, the sub–inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary:

  Any act or thing by this Act authorized to be done by the chief officer of police may be done by any person authorized by him in that behalf.

• . . . F1

Textual Amendments

F1 Definition repealed by Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1893 (c. 54)

F2 Definition repealed by Police Act 1964 (c. 48), Sch. 10 Pt. I and Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (c. 77), Sch. 5 Pt. II

F3 Definition repealed by Police Act 1964 (c. 48), Sch. 10 Pt. I and Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (c. 77), Sch. 5 Pt. I

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 20 repealed (E.W.) by Criminal Law Act 1967 (c. 58), Sch. 3 Pt. I

C2 Reference to penal servitude to be construed as reference to imprisonment: Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21), s. 221(1)

Marginal Citations

M1 1861 c. 96.