{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-act-1984/section-19",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-act-1984/section-19.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1984/60",
  "legislation_title": "Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-act-1984",
  "path": "section/19",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "19",
  "heading": "General power of seizure etc.",
  "text": "(1) The powers conferred by subsections (2), (3) and (4) below are exercisable by a constable who is lawfully on any premises.\n(2) The constable may seize anything which is on the premises if he has reasonable grounds for believing—\n(a) that it has been obtained in consequence of the commission of an offence; and\n(b) that it is necessary to seize it in order to prevent it being concealed, lost, damaged, altered or destroyed.\n(3) The constable may seize anything which is on the premises if he has reasonable grounds for believing—\n(a) that it is evidence in relation to an offence which he is investigating or any other offence; and\n(b) that it is necessary to seize it in order to prevent the evidence being concealed, lost, altered or destroyed.\n(4) The constable may require any information which is stored in any electronic form and is accessible from the premises to be produced in a form in which it can be taken away and in which it is visible and legible or from which it can readily be produced in a visible and legible form if he has reasonable grounds for believing—\n(a) that—\n(i) it is evidence in relation to an offence which he is investigating or any other offence; or\n(ii) it has been obtained in consequence of the commission of an offence; and\n(b) that it is necessary to do so in order to prevent it being concealed, lost, tampered with or destroyed.\n(5) The powers conferred by this section are in addition to any power otherwise conferred.\n(6) No power of seizure conferred on a constable under any enactment (including an enactment contained in an Act passed after this Act) is to be taken to authorise the seizure of an item which the constable exercising the power has reasonable grounds for believing to be subject to legal privilege.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 19(4) substituted (1.4.2003) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 70, 138(2) Sch. 2 Pt. II para. 13(1)(a)(2)(a); S.I. 2003/708, art. 2(k)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 19(4) inserted (1.4.2003) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 70, 138(2), Sch. 2 Pt. II para 13(1)(b)(2)(a); S.I. 2003/708, art. 2(k)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 19 extended (2.12.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), s. 38, Sch. 4 Pt. 2 para. 19(a); S.I. 2002/2750, art. 2(a)(ii)(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (25.6.2013) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officials in England and Wales) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/1542), arts. 1, 3(2)-(4), Sch. 1 (with arts. 4-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (25.6.2013) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to immigration officers and designated customs officials in England and Wales) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/1542), arts. 1, 12(2)-(4), Sch. 2 (with arts. 13-31)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "S. 19 extended (with modifications) by 2002 c. 30, Sch. 4 para. 2B(a)-(c) (as inserted (13.5.2014) by Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12), s. 185(1), Sch. 10 para. 4 (with ss. 21, 33, 42, 58, 75, 93); S.I. 2014/949, art. 3, Sch. para. 22)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (4.11.2015) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to Revenue and Customs) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/1783), arts. 1, 3(1), Sch. 1 (with art. 3(2), (3), 4-19, Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C6",
      "text": "S. 19 applied by 1994 c. 33, s. 139(10A)(a) (as inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 17 para. 4(9))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C7",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (30.4.2017) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to Labour Abuse Prevention Officers) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/520), regs. 1, 2, 3(j), Sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C8",
      "text": "S. 19 applied by 1994 c. 33, s. 139(10A)(a) (as inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.3.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 17 para. 4(9); S.I. 2018/227, art. 2(g))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C9",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (1.4.2018) by The Welsh Revenue Authority (Powers to Investigate Criminal Offences) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/400), regs. 1(2), 3(1)(3), Sch. (with regs. 4-8)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C10",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (1.5.2025) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (Application to Food Crime Officers) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/300), regs. 1(1), 2-6"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C11",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (1.4.2026) by Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 (c. 28), ss. 7, 109(1), Sch. 1 (with ss. 72, 105); S.I. 2026/371, reg. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C12",
      "text": "S. 19 applied (with modifications) (7.4.2026) by The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Application to Enforcement Officers) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/303), regs. 1(1), 3, 4(j), Sch. paras. 1-10"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C13",
      "text": "S. 19(4) modified (1.4.2003) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 63, 138(2); S.I. 2003/708, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C14",
      "text": "S. 19(6) excluded (1.4.2003) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 50 (2)(4)-(6), 138(2); S.I. 2003/708, art. 2(a)S. 19(6) excluded (1.4.2003) by 2001 c.16, ss. 51(2)(4)(5), 138(2); S.I. 2003/708, art. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C15",
      "text": "S. 19(6) modified (2.12.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), s. 38, Sch. 4 Pt. 2 para. 16(f); S.I. 2002/2750, art. 2(a)(ii)(d)S. 19(6) modified (2.12.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), s. 38, Sch. 4 Pt. 2 para. 17(c); S.I. 2002/2750, art. 2(a)(ii)(d)S. 19(6) modified (2.12.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), s. 38, Sch. 4 Pt. 2 para. 18(c); S.I. 2002/2750, art. 2(a)(ii)(d)S. 19(6) modified (2.12.2002) by Police Reform Act 2002 (c. 30), s. 38, Sch. 4 Pt. 2 para. 19(c); S.I. 2002/2750, art. 2(a)(ii)(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C16",
      "text": "Pt. 2 applied (8.3.2018) by The United Nations (International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/187), arts. 1(1), 16(1) (with art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C17",
      "text": "Ss. 8, 9, 15, 16, 17(1)(b)(2) (4), 18-20, 21, 22(1)-(4), 28, 29, 30(1)-(4)(a)(5)-(11), 31, 32(1)-(9), 34(1)-(5), 35, 36, 37, 39, 40-44, 50, 51(d), 52, 54, 55, 64(1)-(4)(5)(6), Sch. 1 applied with modifications by S.I. 1985/1800, arts. 3-11, Schs. 1, 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "applied (with modifications) by 1992 c. 5, s. 109D, Sch. 3ZC (as inserted)",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2025/28",
      "affecting_title": "Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025"
    },
    {
      "type": "excluded by 1968 c. 60, s. 26B(1) (as inserted)",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2026/20",
      "affecting_title": "Crime and Policing Act 2026"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/60/section/19",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:00:58.179601+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}