Helping public officials exercise powers under other Acts
16 Helping public officials exercise powers under other Acts
This section applies if an Act (authorising law) authorises a public official to perform functions in relation to a person or thing.
However, this section only applies to a police officer who is not a public official for the authorising law.
If a public official asks, a police officer may help the public official perform the public official’s functions under the authorising law.
Before the police officer helps the public official, the public official must explain to the police officer the powers the public official has under the authorising law.
If the public official is not present or will not be present when the help is to be given, the police officer may give the help only if the police officer is satisfied giving the help in the public official’s absence is reasonably necessary in the particular circumstances.
The police officer has, while helping a public official, the same powers and protection under the authorising law as the public official has.
Subsection (6) is in addition to, and does not limit, the powers and protection a police officer has under this or any other Act.
This Act’s bill:Explanatory memorandum
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