Tuvalu

Criminal Procedure Code

PART III - GENERAL PROVISIONS

10 Arrest

(1) In making an arrest the police officer or other person making the same shall actually touch or confine the body of the person to be arrested, unless there be a submission to the custody by word or action.

(2) If such person forcibly resists the endeavour to arrest him, or attempts to evade the arrest, such police officer or other person may use all means necessary to effect the arrest:
Provided that nothing in this section contained shall be deemed to justify the use of greater force than was reasonable in the particular circumstances in which it was employed or was necessary for the apprehension of the offender.


11 Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested

(1) If any person acting under a warrant of arrest, or any police officer having authority to arrest, has reason to believe that the person to be arrested has entered into or is within any place, the person residing in or being in charge of such place, shall, on demand of such person acting as aforesaid or such police officer, allow him free ingress thereto and afford all reasonable facilities for a search therein.

(2) If ingress to such place cannot be obtained under subsection (1), it shall be lawful in any case for a person acting under a warrant, and, in any case in which a warrant may issue but cannot be obtained without affording the person to be arrested an opportunity to escape, for a police officer to enter such place and search therein, and, in order to effect an entrance into such place, to break open any outer or inner door or window of any house or place, whether that of the person to be arrested or of any other person, or otherwise effect entry into such house or place, if after notification of his authority and purpose and demand of admittance duly made he cannot otherwise obtain admittance.


12 Power to break out of house or other place for purpose of liberation

Any police officer or other person authorised to make an arrest may break out of any house or other place in order to liberate himself or any other person who, having lawfully entered for the purpose of making an arrest, is detained therein.


13 No unnecessary restraint

The person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape.


14 Search of arrested persons

(1) Whenever a person is arrested by a police officer or a private person, the police officer making the arrest or to whom the private person makes over the person arrested may search such person, and place in safe custody all articles other than necessary wearing apparel found upon him:
Provided that whenever the person arrested can be legally admitted to bail and bail is furnished, such person shall not be searched unless there are reasonable grounds for believing that he has about his person any —
(a) stolen articles; or
(b) instruments of violence; or
(c) tools connected with the kind of offence which he is alleged to have committed; or
(d) other articles which may furnish evidence against him in regard to the offence which he is alleged to have committed.

(2) The right to search an arrested person does not include the right to examine his private person.

(3) Where any property has been taken from a person under this section, and the person is not charged before any court but is released on the ground that there is no sufficient reason to believe that he has committed any offence, any property so taken from him shall be restored to him.


15 Powers of police officers to detain and search persons, vehicles and vessels in certain circumstances

(1) Any police officer who has reason to suspect that any article stolen or unlawfully obtained, or any article in respect of which a criminal offence or an offence against the customs laws has been, is being, or is about to be, committed, is being conveyed, whether on any person or in any vehicle, package or otherwise, or is concealed or carried on any person in a public place, or is concealed or contained in any vehicle or package in a public place, for the purpose of being conveyed, may, without warrant or other written authority, detain and search any such person, vehicle or package, and may take possession of and detain any such article which he may reasonably suspect to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained or in respect of which he may reasonably suspect that a criminal offence or an offence against the customs laws has been, is being, or is about to be committed, together with the package, if any, containing it, and may also detain the person conveying, concealing or carrying such article:
Provided that this subsection shall not extend to the case of postal matter in transit by post except where such postal matter has been, or is suspected of having been, dishonestly appropriated during such transit.

(2) Any police officer of or above the rank of sergeant may, if he has reason to suspect that there is on board any vessel any property stolen or unlawfully obtained, enter without warrant, and with or without assistants, board such vessel and may remain on board for such reasonable time as he may deem expedient, and may search with or without assistants any and every part of such vessel, and, after demand and refusal of keys, may break open any receptacle, and upon discovery of any property which he may reasonably suspect to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained may take possession of and detain such property and may also detain the person in whose possession the same is found. Such police officer may pursue and detain any person who is in the act of conveying any such property away from any such vessel, or
after such person has landed with the property so conveyed away or found in his possession.

(3) Any person detained under this section shall be dealt with under the provisions of section 23.


16 Mode of searching women

Whenever it is necessary to cause a woman to be searched, the search shall be made by another woman with strict regard to decency.


17 Power to seize offensive weapons

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 14, the officer or other person making any arrest may take from the person arrested any instruments of violence which he has about his person, and shall deliver all articles so taken to the court or officer before which or whom the officer or person making the arrest is required by law to produce the person arrested.

Keywords

Arrest
Surrender
Request for arrest and surrender
Cooperation under procedures of national law
Arrest for national proceedings



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