Public Order (Preservation) Act

(CHAPTER 258)

(Original Enactment: M Ordinance 46 of 1958)

REVISED EDITION 1985

(30th March 1987)

An Act relating to the maintenance and restoration of public order.

[16th September 1963]

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Public Order (Preservation) Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, except in so far as the context otherwise requires or it is otherwise expressly provided —

“Commissioner of Police” includes any police officer for the time being lawfully authorised to exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred or imposed upon the Commissioner of Police by this Act;

“corrosive substance” means any of the acids and substances specified in the First Schedule and shall be deemed to include all substances which are capable on application to the human body of causing hurt through corrosive action;

“document” includes any substance on which is recorded any matter, whether by letters, figures, marks, pictorial or other representation, or by more than one of these means;

“explosive substance” shall be deemed to include any materials for making any explosive substance and any bomb, grenade, apparatus, machine, implement or material used or intended to be used or adapted for causing or aiding in causing any explosion in or with any explosive substance and any part of such bomb, grenade, apparatus, machine or implement;

“hurt” means hurt as defined in the Penal Code [Cap. 224];

“Minister” means the Minister charged with responsibility for internal security;

“offensive weapon” includes any instrument which if used as a weapon of offence is likely to cause hurt;

“police officer” includes an auxiliary police officer and a special police officer appointed in accordance with any written law for the time being in force;

“proclaimed area” means an area in respect of which a proclamation made or renewed under section 3 is for the time being in force;

“subversive document” means any document which contains —

(a)	any matter which is seditious within the meaning of the Sedition Act [Cap. 290];
(b)	any matter likely to be prejudicial to the maintenance or restoration of public order;
(c)	any matter counselling or likely to lead to disobedience to the law of Singapore or to any lawful order therein;
(d)	any matter inciting or likely to lead to unlawful violence or the promotion of feeling of ill-will or hostility between different races or classes of the population in Singapore; or
(e)	any matter likely to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any public servant in the execution of his duties or any class of public servants or against any armed force lawfully in Singapore or any member of such force in the execution of his duties.

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