{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-northern-ireland-order-1989/article-21",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-northern-ireland-order-1989/article-21.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1989/1341",
  "legislation_title": "The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-northern-ireland-order-1989",
  "path": "article/21",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "21",
  "heading": "General power of seizure etc.",
  "text": "(1) The powers conferred by paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) 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, damaged, 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 Article are in addition to any power otherwise conferred.\n(6) No power of seizure conferred on a constable under any statutory provision (including a statutory provision passed or made after the making of this Order) 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": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "2001 c. 16"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "2001 c. 16"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Art. 21 applied (with modifications) (1.12.2007) by Police and Criminal Evidence (Application to Revenue and Customs) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 (S.R. 2007/464), arts. 3-15, Sch. 1, Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Art. 21 applied (with modifications) (18.5.2009) by Police and Criminal Evidence (Application to the Police Ombudsman) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 (S.R. 2009/142), art. 3, Sch. 1, Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "Art. 21 applied by 1994 c. 33, s. 139(10B)(a) (as inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.3.2018 in so far as not already in operation) 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": "C4",
      "text": "Art. 21 applied (with modifications) (10.2.2026) by The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Application to Immigration Officers and Designated Customs Officials in Northern Ireland) and Consequential Amendments Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/117), regs. 1(2), 12-15, 18(1)(2), Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "Art. 21 applied (with modifications) (10.2.2026) by The Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Application to Immigration Officers and Designated Customs Officials in Northern Ireland) and Consequential Amendments Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/117), regs. 1(2), 3-6, 9(1)(2), Sch. 1"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words substituted in earlier affecting provision 2015 c. 9 (N.I.), Sch. 2 para. 6(3)(b)",
      "affecting": "nia/2022/4",
      "affecting_title": "Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1989/1341/article/21",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:47:15.355333+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."
}