Prevention of Crimes Act
(CHAPTER 242)

(Original Enactment: Ordinance 48 of 1939)

REVISED EDITION 1985
(30th March 1987)
An Act relating to the prevention of crimes.
[1st January 1940]
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Crimes Act.
Persons twice convicted of an offence under Penal Code who offend within 7 years of last conviction
2.  Any person convicted of an offence punishable under the Penal Code [Cap. 224], who has been proved to have been previously convicted of such an offence, shall at any time within 7 years immediately after the expiration of the sentence passed on him for the last of such offences be deemed to have committed an offence under this Act, and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year —
Obtaining livelihood by dishonest means
(a)if on his being charged with getting his livelihood by dishonest means, it appears to the court before whom he is charged that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is getting his livelihood by dishonest means;
Refusing to give correct name or address to court
(b)if on being charged with any offence and being required by a court to give his name and address, he refuses to do so, or gives a false name or a false address;
Being found in any place about to commit or to aid in the commission of an offence
(c)if he is found in any place, whether public or private, in such circumstances as to satisfy the court before whom he is brought that he was about to commit or to aid in the commission of any offence, or was waiting for an opportunity to commit or aid in the commission of any offence; or
Being found on premises without reasonable explanation
(d)if he is found in or upon any dwelling-house, or any building, yard or premises, being part of or attached to the dwelling-house, or in or upon any shop, warehouse or other place of business, or in any garden, orchard, pleasure ground, or nursery ground or in any building or erection in any garden, orchard, pleasure ground or nursery ground without being able to account to the satisfaction of the court before whom he is brought for his being found on those premises.
Power of arrest for offences under section 2
3.—(1)  Any person charged with being guilty of an offence under section 2(a) may be arrested without a warrant by any police officer, if the police officer is authorised to do so by the assistant superintendent of police in charge of his division.
(2)  Any person charged with being guilty of an offence under section 2(c) may be arrested by any police officer without a warrant, although that police officer is not specially authorised to take him into custody.
(3)  Any person charged with being guilty of an offence under section 2(d) may be arrested without a warrant by any police officer, or by the owner or occupier of the property on which he is found, or by the employees of the owner or occupier, or by any other person authorised by the owner or occupier, and may be detained until he can be delivered into the custody of a police officer.
Harbouring reputed thieves or allowing the deposit of stolen goods on certain premises
4.  Every person who occupies or keeps any hotel, lodging-house, eating-house or any house or place where intoxicating liquors are sold, or any place of public entertainment or public resort, and knowingly lodges or knowingly harbours thieves or reputed thieves, or knowingly permits or knowingly suffers them to meet or assemble therein, or knowingly allows the deposit of goods having reasonable cause for believing them to be stolen, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both, and the court before which he is brought may, if it thinks fit, in addition to or in lieu of any penalty, require him to enter into recognizances, with or without sureties, for keeping the peace or being of good behaviour during 12 months.
Disposal of licences
5.  Any licence for the sale of intoxicating liquors, or for keeping any hotel, lodging-house, eating-house or any place of public entertainment or resort, which has been granted to the occupier or keeper of any such house or place may, in the discretion of the court, be forfeited on his first conviction of any offence under section 4, and on his second conviction for that offence his licence shall be forfeited and he shall be disqualified for a period of two years from receiving the licence; moreover, where two convictions under this section have taken place within a period of 3 years in respect of the same premises, whether the persons concerned were or were not the same, the court shall direct that for a term not exceeding one year from the date of the last of such convictions no such licence shall be granted to any person whatever in respect of those premises; and any licence granted in contravention of this section shall be void.
Harbouring reputed thieves or allowing the deposit of stolen goods in a brothel
6.  Every person who occupies or keeps a brothel, and knowingly lodges or knowingly harbours thieves or reputed thieves, or knowingly permits or knowingly suffers them to meet or assemble therein, or knowingly allows the deposit of stolen goods therein having reasonable cause for believing them to be stolen, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both; and the court before which he is brought may, in addition to or in lieu of any penalty, require him to enter into recognisances, with or without sureties, for keeping the peace or being of good behaviour during 12 months.
Restriction on purchases by dealers in old metals
7.—(1)  Any dealer in old metals who either personally or by any servant or agent purchases, receives or bargains for any metal mentioned in the first column of the Schedule, whether new or old, in any quantity at one time of less weight than the quantity set opposite each metal in the Schedule, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $200.
(2)  For the purpose of this section “dealer in old metals” means any person dealing in, buying and selling old metal, scrap metal, broken metal, or partly broken metal or partly manufactured metal goods, or defaced or old metal goods, and whether the person deals in that article only, or together with secondhand goods or marine stores.