Singapore legislation
Section 24
Section 24
Powers of entry, etc., for enforcement purpose
(1)
A police officer or a dormitory inspector may, for an enforcement purpose, do all or any of the following in relation to any boarding premises (whether or not a foreign employee dormitory that is the subject of a licence):
enter and inspect, without warrant, the premises, and inspect any equipment, vehicle or other thing at the premises;
photograph or film, or make audio recordings or make sketches of, any part of the premises or anything at the premises and of any individual apparently residing at the premises;
enter and search, in the day or night, the premises, if the police officer or dormitory inspector has reasonable cause to believe that evidence of the commission of an offence under this Act can be found at those premises;
detain any individual found within those premises until the search of the premises is complete;
inspect and make copies of, or take extracts from (without fee or reward) any document kept at the premises;
take any document or any other thing at the premises if the police officer or dormitory inspector considers it necessary to do so for the purpose of obtaining evidence of an offence under this Act, including asking any individual who is able to operate any equipment at the premises to do so for the purpose of enabling the police officer or dormitory inspector 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;
require any person whom the police officer or dormitory inspector has reason to believe to be in possession of any document (including travel documents or documents of identity) or information relevant to the purposes of this Act to take reasonable steps to produce the document or provide the information;
require any person whom the police officer or dormitory inspector has reason to believe to be acquainted with any facts or circumstances relevant to the carrying out of the provisions of this Act —
to answer any question to the best of that person’s knowledge, information and belief, immediately or at any place and time specified in writing; or
to take reasonable steps to provide information or produce a document, immediately or at any place and time specified in writing;
require the manager of the premises to produce all or any of the residents of those premises or the occupancy agreements for the residents of those premises.
(2)
The power to require a person to provide information or produce a document under subsection (1)(g) or (h) includes the power —
to require that person, or any person who is or was an officer or employee of that person, to provide an explanation of the document or information;
if the document or information is not provided, to require that person to state, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, where it is; and
if the information is recorded otherwise than in legible form, to require the information to be made available to the police officer or dormitory inspector in legible form.
(3)
Where any document or information the production of which has been required of a person under subsection (1)(h) has not been produced or provided in compliance with that requirement, and the police officer or dormitory inspector concerned has reasonable grounds to believe that the person will not attend to produce or provide the document or information in compliance with that requirement, the police officer or dormitory inspector may apply to a Magistrate for the issue of a warrant to secure the attendance of that person for that purpose.
(4)
If entry to any boarding premises mentioned in subsection (1) cannot be obtained, a police officer or dormitory inspector may, where the police officer or dormitory inspector has reasonable cause to believe that evidence of the commission of an offence under this Act can be found at those premises —
after declaring his or her office and after producing his or her identification card on demand being made; and
with such force as is necessary to obtain entry,break open any door or window leading to the premises, or remove by force any obstruction to the entry or search.
(5)
Without limiting subsection (1) —
a dormitory inspector exercising any function under this section may be accompanied by one or more medical practitioners and any of those medical practitioners may inspect the premises and observe, examine and speak with any person apparently residing at the premises; and
a dormitory inspector, in exercising his or her power under subsection (1)(a) or (c), may also open any ground and remove any flooring and take such measures as may be necessary to ascertain the character and condition of the premises and of any pipe, sewer, drain, wire or fitting.
(6)
Any person asked under subsection (1)(g) or (h) is bound to state truly what the person knows of the facts and circumstances concerning matters under this Act, except that the person need not say anything that might expose that person to a criminal charge, penalty or forfeiture.
(7)
A statement made by any person asked under this section must —
be reduced to writing;
be read over to the person;
if the person does not understand English, be interpreted in a language that the person understands; and
after correction, if necessary, be signed by that person.
(8)
In this section, “enforcement purpose” means —
ensuring that the provisions of this Act and the regulations made under section 34 with respect to boarding premises operated as foreign employee dormitories, a code of practice or standard of performance, and any conditions imposed on a licence or any other consent, approval or authorisation under this Act with respect to boarding premises operated as foreign employee dormitories, are being complied with; or
investigating any offence under this Act or any contravention of or non‑compliance with a provision of this Act or a code of practice or standard of performance.