Subject to the following provisions of this section and to sections 42 and 43 below, a person shall not be kept in police detention for more than 24 hours without being charged.
The time from which the period of detention of a person is to be calculated (in this Act referred to as "the relevant time")—
whichever is the earlier;
whichever is the earlier;
and is arrested at the police station, the time of his arrest;
Subsection (2)(a) above applies to a person if—
and in sub-paragraph (i) of that paragraph "the relevant police station" means the first police station to which he is taken in the police area in which his arrest was sought.
Subsection (2) above shall have effect in relation to a person arrested under section 31 above as if every reference in it to his arrest or his being arrested were a reference to his arrest or his being arrested for the offence for which he was originally arrested.
If—
whichever is the earlier.
When a person who is in police detention is removed to hospital because he is in need of medical treatment, any time during which he is being questioned in hospital or on the way there or back by a police officer for the purpose of obtaining evidence relating to an offence shall be included in any period which falls to be calculated for the purposes of this Part of this Act, but any other time while he is in hospital or on his way there or back shall not be so included.
Subject to subsection (8) below, a person who at the expiry of 24 hours after the relevant time is in police detention and has not been charged shall be released at that time —
Subsection (7) above does not apply to a person whose detention for more than 24 hours after the relevant time has been authorised or is otherwise permitted in accordance with section 42 or 43 below.
A person released under subsection (7) above shall not be re-arrested without a warrant for the offence for which he was previously arrested unless , since the person's release, new evidence has come to light or an examination or analysis of existing evidence has been made which could not reasonably have been made before his release; but this subsection does not prevent an arrest under section 46A below.
Subsection (11) applies where—
The custody officer must give the person notice in writing that the person is not to be prosecuted.
Subsection (11) does not prevent the prosecution of the person for an offence if new evidence comes to light after the notice was given.
Section 47(6) and (6A) makes further provision about the calculation of a period of police detention for the purposes of this Part.