Section 289: Searches, Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

If an officer of Revenue and Customs or constable , an SFO officer who , a constable or an accredited financial investigator is lawfully on any premises and has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is on the premises cash—

which is recoverable property or is intended by any person for use in unlawful conduct, and

the amount of which is not less than the minimum amount,

he may search for the cash there.

The powers specified in subsection (1D) are exercisable if—

an officer of Revenue and Customs, a constable , an SFO officer or an accredited financial investigator has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is cash falling within subsection (1E) in a vehicle, and

it appears to the officer of Revenue and Customs, constable , SFO officer or investigator that the vehicle is under the control of a person (the suspect) who is in or in the vicinity of the vehicle.

The powers are exercisable only if the vehicle is—

But if the vehicle is in a garden or yard or other land occupied with and used for the purposes of a dwelling, the officer of Revenue and Customs, constable , SFO officer of Revenue and Customs or accredited financial investigator may exercise the powers under subsection (1D) only if the officer, constable , SFO officer or investigator has reasonable grounds for believing—

that the suspect does not reside in the dwelling, and

that the vehicle is not in the place in question with the express or implied permission of a person who resides in the dwelling.

The officer of Revenue and Customs, constable , SFO officer of Revenue and Customs or accredited financial investigator may, so far as the officer, constable , SFO officer or investigator thinks it necessary or expedient, require the suspect to—

permit entry to the vehicle,

permit a search of the vehicle.

Cash falls within this subsection if—

it is recoverable property or is intended by any person for use in unlawful conduct, and

the amount of it is not less than the minimum amount.

If an officer of Revenue and Customs , a constable , an SFO officer or an accredited financial investigator has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a person (the suspect) is carrying cash—

which is recoverable property or is intended by any person for use in unlawful conduct, and

the amount of which is not less than the minimum amount,

he may exercise the following powers.

The officer , constable , SFO officer or accredited financial investigator may, so far as he thinks it necessary or expedient, require the suspect—

to permit a search of any article he has with him,

to permit a search of his person.

An officer , constable , SFO officer or accredited financial investigator may—

in exercising powers by virtue of subsection (1D), detain the vehicle for so long as is necessary for their exercise,

in exercising powers by virtue of subsection (3)(b), detain the suspect for so long as is necessary for their exercise.

The powers conferred by this section—

are exercisable only so far as reasonably required for the purpose of finding cash,

are exercisable by an officer of Revenue and Customs only if he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the unlawful conduct in question relates to an assigned matter (within the meaning of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (c. 2)).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

are exercisable by an SFO officer or accredited financial investigator only in relation to the following—

premises in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (in the case of subsection (1)),

vehicles and suspects in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (in the case of subsections (1D) and (4)(a)),

suspects in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (in the case of subsections (2), (3) and (4)(b)).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cash means—

notes and coins in any currency,

postal orders,

cheques of any kind, including travellers' cheques,

bankers' drafts,

bearer bonds and bearer shares,

gaming vouchers,

fixed-value casino tokens,

betting receipts

found at any place in the United Kingdom.

Cash also includes any kind of monetary instrument which is found at any place in the United Kingdom, if the instrument is specified by the Secretary of State by an order made after consultation with the Scottish Ministers or, in relation to Northern Ireland, is specified by the Department of Justice by an order.

For the purposes of subsection (6)—

"gaming voucher" means a voucher in physical form issued by a gaming machine that represents a right to be paid the amount stated on it;

"fixed-value casino token" means a casino token that represents a right to be paid the amount stated on it;

"betting receipt" means a receipt in physical form that represents a right to be paid an amount in respect of a bet placed with a person holding a betting licence.

In subsection (7A)—

"bet"—
(a)in relation to England and Wales and Scotland, has the same meaning as in section 9(1) of the Gambling Act 2005;
(b)in relation to Northern Ireland, has the same meaning as in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 (S.I. 1985/1204 (N.I. 11)) (see Article 2 of that Order);
"betting licence"—
(a)in relation to England and Wales and Scotland, means a general betting operating licence issued under Part 5 of the Gambling Act 2005;
(b)in relation to Northern Ireland, means a bookmaker's licence as defined in Article 2 of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985;
"gaming machine"—
(a)in relation to England and Wales and Scotland, has the same meaning as in the Gambling Act 2005 (see section 235 of that Act);
(b)in relation to Northern Ireland, has the same meaning as in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 (see Article 2 of that Order).

In the application of subsection (7A) to Northern Ireland references to a right to be paid an amount are to be read as references to the right that would exist but for Article 170 of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 (gaming and wagering contracts void).

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 (c. 2)).

Section 289: Searches

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