{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-northern-ireland-order-1989/article-31",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-criminal-evidence-northern-ireland-order-1989/article-31.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/31",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "31",
  "heading": "Voluntary attendance at police station etc.",
  "text": "(1) Where for the purpose of assisting with an investigation a person attends voluntarily at a police station or at any other place where a constable is present or accompanies a constable to a police station or any such other place without having been arrested—\n(a) he shall be entitled to leave at will unless he is placed under arrest;\n(b) he shall be informed at once that he is under arrest if a decision is taken by a constable to prevent him from leaving at will.\n(2) Where—\n(a) a person is taken to a police station in pursuance of a direction under section 16 of the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953; and\n(b) while he is there it appears to a constable that he is liable to arrest for an offence,\nhe shall be arrested for that offence.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "1995 NI 17"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "1995 NI 17"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Art. 31 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. 31 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. 31 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(2), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "Art. 31 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(2), Sch. 2"
    }
  ],
  "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/31",
    "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."
}