In forceAmended2020 Revised Edition

Contents

Registration of Criminals Act 1949 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Identification of Individuals

14. Taking identifying information from volunteers

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Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2022.

(1)

Subject to subsection (2), an authorised officer may do any one or more of the following:

(a)

take or cause to be taken the finger impressions and photographs of a volunteer;

(b)

make or cause to be made a record of any other identifying information of a volunteer that the authorised officer thinks necessary;

(c)

subject to section 15, carry out any forensic procedure for the purpose of paragraph (a) or (b),if the appropriate consent is given for the taking of the identifying information.

(2)

Despite subsection (1), an authorised officer may, without the appropriate consent, do anything mentioned in subsection (1) in relation to a volunteer below 16 years of age, if —

(a)

the consent of the parent or guardian of the volunteer is refused without good cause or cannot be obtained despite all reasonable efforts;

(b)

the volunteer is still willing to give the identifying information; and

(c)

a Magistrate sanctions the taking of the identifying information.

(3)

The authorised officer must send a copy of all identifying information and records of the identifying information taken or made under subsection (1) or (2) to the Registrar for identification and report.

Terms defined in this Act

appropriate consent
Defined · s 13A
“appropriate consent” means —(a)in relation to a person who has attained the age of 16 years, the consent in writing of that person;(b)in relation to a person who has not attained the age of 16 years but has attained the age of 14 years, the consent in writing of both that person and of his or her parent or guardian; and(c)in relation to a person who has not attained the age of 14 years, the consent in writing of his or her parent or guardian,given to the authorised officer in charge of the case after the person concerned or his or her parent or guardian (as the case may be) has been informed by the authorised officer of the purpose for which a body sample is required from that person and the manner by which such body sample is to be taken from him or her;
Open s 13A
authorised officer
Defined · s 2
“authorised officer” means —(a)a police officer;(b)an officer of customs of the Singapore Customs in any case concerning an offence or alleged offence against any law or provision of law which is the function of the Singapore Customs to enforce;(c)an immigration officer;(ca)a forensic specialist acting in accordance with an authorisation under section 65B(1) of the Police Force Act 2004 to exercise a power under this Act;(d)an officer of any law enforcement agency in any case concerning an offence or alleged offence against any law or provision of law which it is the function of that agency to enforce; and(e)any other person who is duly appointed in writing by the Commissioner of Police as an authorised officer for the purposes of this Act or any provision of this Act;
Open s 2
forensic procedure
Defined · s 2
“forensic procedure”, in relation to an individual, includes doing one or all of the following in relation to the individual:(a)taking an impression or cast of a wound from the external parts of the individual’s body other than the parts referred to in section 13A(3);(b)the taking of physical measurements (whether or not involving marking) for biomechanical analysis of an external part of the body other than the parts referred to in section 13A(3);(c)removing any article that the individual is wearing, and searching any article so removed;(d)removing a relevant thing attached physically to those external parts of the individual’s body or taking a sample of that relevant thing;(e)photographing any relevant thing in the position it is found on the external parts of the individual’s body, or in the individual’s mouth;
Open s 2
Registrar
Defined · s 2
“Registrar” means the Registrar of Criminals appointed under section 3, and includes an Assistant Registrar of Criminals.
Open s 2
volunteer
Defined · s 13A
“volunteer” means a person who voluntarily gives his or her consent under section 13D for the taking of a body sample from him or her.
Open s 13A