POLICE POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ACT 2000 - SECT 31
Searching vehicles without warrant
POLICE POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ACT 2000 - SECT 31
Searching vehicles without warrant
31 Searching vehicles without warrant
(1) A police officer who reasonably suspects any of the prescribed
circumstances for searching a vehicle without a warrant exist may, without
warrant, do any of the following—
(a) stop a vehicle;
(b) detain a vehicle
and the occupants of the vehicle;
(c) search a vehicle and anything in it for
anything relevant to the circumstances for which the vehicle and its occupants
are detained.
(2) Also, a police officer may stop, detain and search a
vehicle and anything in it if the police officer reasonably suspects—
(3) If the driver or a passenger in the
vehicle is arrested for an offence involving something the police officer may
search for under this part without a warrant, a police officer may also detain
the vehicle and anyone in it and search the vehicle and anything in it.
(4)
If it is impracticable to search for a thing that may be concealed in a
vehicle at the place where the vehicle is stopped, the police officer may take
the vehicle to a place with appropriate facilities for searching the vehicle
and search the vehicle at that place.
(5) The police officer may seize all or
part of a thing—
(a) that may provide evidence of the commission of an
offence; or
(b) that the person intends to use to cause harm to himself,
herself or someone else; or
(c) if section 32(1) (b) applies, that is an
antique firearm.
(6) Power under this section to search a vehicle includes
power to enter the vehicle, stay in it and re-enter it as often as necessary
to remove from it a thing seized under subsection (5) .