Section E1 — Immigration Act 1971: Protective searches of persons

Protective searches of persons E1 1 A relevant officer may search a person found on the ship for anything which the officer has reasonable grounds to believe the person might use to—

a cause physical injury, b cause damage to property, or c endanger the safety of any ship.

2 The power conferred by sub-paragraph (1) may be exercised—

a only if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that anything of a kind mentioned in that sub-paragraph is concealed on the person, and b only to the extent that it is reasonably required for the purpose of discovering any such thing.

3 The relevant officer may seize and retain anything which the officer has grounds to believe might—

a cause physical injury, b cause damage to property, or c endanger the safety of any ship.

4 If the person is detained, nothing seized under sub-paragraph (3) may be retained when the person is released from detention.

5 A power conferred by this paragraph to search a person does not authorise a relevant officer to require the person to remove any clothing in public other than an outer coat, jacket or gloves, but it does authorise the search of a person’s mouth.

6 A power conferred by this paragraph may be exercised on the ship or elsewhere.