Singapore legislation
Section 183A
Section 183A
Power to enter premises
(1)
An inspector or authorised person may enter at any reasonable time without notice any premises of a holder of a licence or approval granted under this Act for the purpose of investigating any offence or contravention of a provision of this Act which may result in disciplinary action, and may do all or any of the following:
search the premises and take possession of any thing found therein and reasonably believed to be connected to the commission of the offence or the contravention;
require the production of records and documents relating or reasonably believed to relate to the commission of the offence or the contravention, wherever and by whomsoever kept, and take and retain extracts or copies thereof;
compel any person who is able to operate any equipment at the premises to do so for the purpose of enabling the inspector or authorised person to ascertain whether the equipment, or a disk, tape or other storage device that can be used or associated with the equipment, contains information that is relevant to the investigation;
if such information is found in exercise of the power in paragraph (c) —
produce, or compel the production of, the information in documentary form, and keep or copy the documents so produced; or
transfer, or compel the transfer of, the information to a disk, tape or other storage device, and remove it from the premises.
(2)
Where an inspector or authorised person has reasonable grounds to suspect that there is, on any premises (including premises other than those referred to in subsection (1)), any record, document or information the production of which has been required under subsection (1) or section 181(1)(b), and —
which has not been produced in compliance with that requirement; or
which the inspector or authorised person has reasonable grounds to believe will not be produced in compliance with that requirement,the inspector or authorised person may apply to a Magistrate for the issue of a warrant to search the premises for such record, document or information.
(3)
Whenever it appears to a Magistrate, upon an application made under subsection (2), and after such enquiry as he or she may think necessary, that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is, on particular premises, any record, document or information the production of which has been required under subsection (1) or section 181(1)(b), and —
which has not been produced in compliance with that requirement; or
which the Magistrate has reasonable grounds to suspect will not be produced in compliance with that requirement,the Magistrate may issue a warrant authorising the inspector or authorised person or any person named therein, with or without assistance —
to enter and search the premises and to break open and search anything, whether a fixture or not, in the premises; and
to take possession of, or secure against interference, any record or document, or equipment, disk, tape or other storage device containing information, that appears to be a record or document, or to contain information, the production of which was so required.