PART III - ARREST OF OFFENDERS AND PREVENTION OF OFFENCES

15 Search of arrested persons

(1) Where 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 any articles in his possession or under his control and place in safe custody all articles found in his possession or under his control and any article found upon him, except necessary wearing apparel :

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;
(b) instruments of violence ;
(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.

(4) Whenever it is necessary to cause a woman or girl to be searched, the search shall be made only by another woman with strict regard to decency.

16 Power of police officer to detain and search persons, vehicles, vessels and aircraft 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 has been, or 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 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 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 or aircraft any property stolen or unlawfully obtained, enter without warrant, and with or without assistants, on board such vessel or aircraft 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 or aircraft 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 any person in whose possession it 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 aircraft or who has landed with the property so conveyed away or found in his possession.

(3) Any police officer may, if he has reason to suspect that an offence has been committed, seize any articles which may be in a public place and which may furnish evidence in regard to the commission of that offence :

Provided that no articles may be seized under the provisions of this subsection unless there is a possibility of such articles being removed or dealt with in such a way as to prevent their being available as evidence.

(4) Any person detained under this section shall be dealt with under the provisions of section 21 of this Act.

17 Power to seize offensive weapons

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 15 of this Act, the police 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 magistrate or police officer before whom the police officer or other person making the arrest is required by law to bring or send the person arrested.