An appropriate officer may exercise the following powers if the officer has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a person is carrying property that may be seized under section 127C.
The officer may, so far as the officer thinks it necessary or expedient for the purpose of seizing the property under that section, require the person—
An officer exercising a power under subsection (2) may detain the person for so long as is necessary for its exercise.
A power conferred by this section may be exercised only with the appropriate approval under section 127G unless, in the circumstances, it is not practicable to obtain that approval before exercising the power.
This section does not require a person to submit to an intimate search or strip search (within the meaning of section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979).