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OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT 1920 - SECT 6

Duty of giving information as to commission of offences.

6.(1) Where a district inspector is satisfied that there is reasonable ground
for suspecting that an offence under section one of the principal Act has been
committed and for believing that any person is able to furnish information as
to the offence or suspected offence, he may apply to the Minister of Home
Affairs for permission to exercise the powers conferred by this subsection
and, if such permission is granted, he may authorise a superintendent of
police, or any police officer not below the rank of head constable, to require
the person believed to be able to furnish information to give any information
in his power relating to the offence or suspected offence, and, if so required
and on tender of his reasonable expenses, to attend at such reasonable time
and place as may be specified by the superintendent or other officer; and if a
person required in pursuance of such an authorisation to give information, or
to attend as aforesaid, fails to comply with any such requirement or knowingly
gives false information, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

(2) Where a district inspector has reasonable grounds to believe that the case
is one of great emergency and that in the interest of the State immediate
action is necessary, he may exercise the powers conferred by the last
foregoing subsection without applying for or being granted the permission of
the Minister of Home Affairs, but if he does so shall forthwith report the
circumstances to the Minister of Home Affairs.

(3) References in this section to a district inspector shall be construed as
including references to any other officer of police expressly authorised by a
district inspector to act on his behalf for the purposes of this section when
by reason of illness, absence, or other cause he is unable to do so.]


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© 1920 Crown Copyright

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