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Persons quarrelling.
Indecent Exposure, &c.
Escape.
Treatment
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closed he may break them open if Admission be refused, after giving Notice of his Office and his Object in entering.
If any Party threaten another with immediate personal Violence, or offer to strike, the Constable should interfere, and prevent a Breach of the Peace; if one draw a Weapon upon another, attempting to strike, the Constable should take him into Custody. If persons be merely quarrelling or insulting each other, the Constable has no Right to take them into Custody, but should be ready to prevent a Breach of the Peace.
The Constable ought to arrest and take before a Justice any person walking about the Streets and exposing to View in the Street any obscene Print or Exhibition, or any Person wilfully, openly, and obscenely, in any Street or Place of public Resort, exposing his Person, with Intent to insult any Female.
If a Party charged with a Misdemeanor escape out of Custody he may be pursued immediately anywhere, and if he take Refuge in a House the Doors may be broken open, after Demand of Admis- sion, and after Notification by the Constable of his Office and Object in coming.
After the Arrest the Constable is in all Cases to treat a Prisoner after Arrest. properly, and impose only such Constraint upon him as may be
necessary for his safe Custody.
Warrant for Apprehen- sion.
Mode of Arrest.
Search Warrant
Prostitutes.
Beggars.
The Constable is bound to follow the Directions contained in a Warrant, and to execute it with Secrecy and Despatch. The Power given to him for the Purpose of arresting has been already shown. (See above.) If the Warrant cannot be executed immediately it should be executed as soon as possible afterwards.
The Constable must execute the Warrant himself, or, when he calls in Assistance, must be actually present. Upon all Occasions he ought to state his Authority if it be not generally known, and should show his Warrant when required to do so; but he should never part with the Possession of the Warrant, as it may be wanted afterwards for his own Justification.
Upon the Arrest being made the Prisoner is to be taken before the Magistrate as soon as convenient. When the Prisoner is brought to the Justice he still remains in Custody of the Constable until his Discharge or Committal, or until he receives the Orders of the Justice. The Constable may enter a House to search for stolen Goods, having got a Search Warrant from a Magistrate for that Purpose. He should, when it is possible so to do, execute it in the Day-time. If he finds the Goods mentioned he is to take them to a Magistrate, and when the Warrant so directs, he must take the Person also in whose Possession they are found. To avoid Mistakes, the Owner ought to attend at the Search to identify the Goods.
The Constable has power to apprehend and carry before a Justice of the Peace every common Prostitute wandering in the public Streets, public Highways, or in any Place of public Resort, and behaving in a riotous or indecent Manner; every Person wandering abroad, or placing himself or herself in any public Street or Highway, Court or Passage, to beg or gather Alms, or causing or procuring or encouraging any Child so to do, all such being declared by the Law to be idle and
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disorderly Persons; every Person wandering abroad and lodging in Wanderers. any Barn or Outhouse, or in any deserted or unoccupied Building, or in the open Air, or under a Tent, or in any Cart or Waggon, not having any visible Means of Subsistence, and not giving a good Account of himself or herself; every Person wandering abroad and endeavour- ing, by the Exposure of Wounds or Deformities, to obtain or gather Exposing Alms; every Person going about as a Gatherer or Collector of Alms, Wounds. or endeavouring to procure charitable Contributions of any Nature Alms, &c. Collecting, or Kind, under any false or fraudulent Pretence; every Person play- Gamblers, ing or betting in any Street, Road, Highway, or other open or public Place, at or with any Table or Instrument of gaming at any Game or pretended Game of Chance.
In the Cases above mentioned the Constable has, by Law, Power to arrest.
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