(1) An authorised officer may issue a penalty notice to a person (including a
hotelier or club) if it appears to the officer that the person has committed a
penalty notice offence.
(2) A penalty notice offence is an offence against
this Act or the regulations that is prescribed by the regulations as a penalty
notice offence.
(3) The Fines Act 1996 applies to a penalty notice issued
under this section.
Note : The Fines Act 1996 provides that, if a person
issued with a penalty notice does not wish to have the matter determined by a
court, the person may pay the amount specified in the notice and is not liable
to any further proceedings for the alleged offence.
(b) despite section 22A (2)
of the Fines Act 1996 , when an amount is paid under this section in respect
of a penalty notice issued to a person, the person is, for the purposes of
Part 8 of this Act, taken to have been convicted of the offence to which the
penalty notice relates.
(5) The amount payable under a penalty notice issued
under this section is the amount prescribed for the alleged offence by the
regulations (not exceeding the maximum amount of penalty that could be imposed
for the offence by a court).
(6) This section does not limit the operation of
any other provision of, or made under, this or any other Act relating to
proceedings that may be taken in respect of offences.
(7) In this section--
"authorised officer" means a police officer or an inspector.