Friday, January 11, 1974
6 -
POWER OF ARREST FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS
Officers of the Preventive Service can now arrest a person suspected
of committing an offence under the Copyright Ordinance and the Dangerous
Goods Ordinance.
Preventive Service officers are already empowered to arrest people
suspected of offences under nine other ordinances listed in the Preventive
Service Ordinance.
The Preventive Service (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 1974
gazetted today adds to the list the Copyright Ordinance and the Dangerous
Goods Ordinance.
Explaining the order, a government spokesman said that many of
the offences under the Copyright Ordinance were committed by petty smugglers,
seamen and vendors who traded in pirated tapes.
"It is essential," he said, "that the raiding and search parties
have power to arrest an offender before he absconds."
At present, Preventive Service officers who conduct raids and
searches for goods that infringe copyright and dangerous goods do not have
the power to arrest. So the chances of bringing an offender before a
court is often lost.
The order is made to remedy the situation.
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