Minor Offences (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 28/1966

Read the first time on 17th August 1966.
An Act to amend the Minor Offences Ordinance (Chapter 117 of the Revised Edition).
Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —
Short title and commencement
1.  This Act may be cited as the Minor Offences (Amendment) Act, 1966, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.
Amendment of section 5
2.  Section 5 of the Minor Offences Ordinance (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the Ordinance”) is hereby amended by deleting the words “Federal Minister” appearing in subsections (1) and (2) thereof and substituting therefor in each case the word “Minister”.
Repeal and re-enactment of section 6
3.  Section 6 of the Ordinance is hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor: —
Deputy Commissioner of Police may issue orders prohibiting the letting off of fireworks
6.—(1)  The Deputy Commissioner of Police may issue orders, which shall be published in the Gazette, prohibiting the letting off of fireworks for such periods or in such defined areas as may be prescribed.
(2)  Any person who lets off any firework in contravention of any order issued under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment.
(3)  The occupier of any house from or in which, or from or in the verandah of which, any contravention of subsection (2) takes place shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to the punishment prescribed as well as the person, if another person, who committed the offence.
(4)  In this section, the expression “fireworks” includes fire crackers and sand crackers.”.
Amendment of section 7
4.  Section 7 of the Ordinance is hereby amended by deleting the words “or by the President of the City Council or by the Chairman of the Rural Board” appearing in the third and fourth lines of the proviso thereto.
Repeal and re-enactment of sections 16, 17 and 18
5.  Sections 16, 17 and 18 of the Ordinance are hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor: —
Unlawful possession of naval, military, air force or police stores
16.  Any person who knowingly detains, buys, exchanges or receives from any person subject to military law for the Army, Navy or Air Force of Singapore or of any visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore or from any member of the Police Force of Singapore or of the Government of Malaysia lawfully present in Singapore, any arms, ammunition, accoutrements, clothing, regimental or other military, naval, air force or police necessaries or other property belonging to the Government or to the Government of Malaysia or to the Government of any country which has visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore or any medal for good conduct, or for distinguished or other services, or who has in his possession or keeping any such arms, ammunition, accoutrements, clothing, regimental or other military, naval, air force or police necessaries, or other property or medals as above, and does not give a satisfactory account as to how he came by the same, shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars or to imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month.
Penalty for taking spirits into barracks or on board men-of-war
17.  Any person who not being amenable to military law for the Army, Navy or Air Force of Singapore or of any visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore, takes or attempts to take into any military barrack, guardroom, or encampment or on board or alongside of any Government ship or into any police barrack, police station or lock-up, any intoxicating liquor, drug or preparation, without the licence in writing of the commanding officer, unless such articles are intended for some person above the rank of non-commissioned officer, shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term which may extend to two months, and such liquor, drug or preparation and the vessels containing the same shall be forfeited.
Power to arrest and search boats
18.—(1)  Any officer or non-commissioned officer of the Army, Navy or Air Force of Singapore or of any visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore, may with or without warrant arrest any person —
(a)loitering in the vicinity of any barracks or encampment; or
(b)found in a boat hovering about any Government ship,
and suspected of committing or attempting to commit an offence under section 17, and such person may be brought before a Magistrate’s Court to be dealt with according to law.
(2)  Any officer or non-commissioned officer of the Army, Navy or Air Force of Singapore or of any visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore may with or without warrant search any boat which is hovering about any Government ship, and which there is reason to suspect is being used for the commission of an offence under section 17.
(3)  In section 17 and this section, “Government ship” means any ship belonging to or in the service of the Government or the Government of Malaysia or the Government of any country which has visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore.”.
Amendment of section 19
6.  Section 19 of the Ordinance is hereby amended by inserting immediately after the word “the” appearing in the fourth line thereof the expression “Singapore,”.
Amendment of section 22
7.  Section 22 of the Ordinance is hereby amended —
(a)by deleting the words “of the Federation or of Singapore” appearing in the second line of subsection (1) thereof; and
(b)by deleting subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —
(2)  Any officer or non-commissioned officer of the Army, Navy or Air Force of Singapore or of any visiting forces lawfully present in Singapore may, with or without warrant, arrest any person offending in his view against the provisions of this section, and such person may be brought before a Magistrate’s Court to be dealt with according to law.”.
Amendment of section 27
8.  Section 27 of the Ordinance is hereby amended —
(a)by deleting the expression “the Municipal Ordinance, or under the laws relating to Revenue or Excise as a public house, or licensed as a retail liquor shop, or” appearing in the second, third, fourth and fifth lines thereof and substituting therefor the words “any written law as a public house or as a retail liquor shop or which is”; and
(b)by deleting the marginal note “Cap. 133 (1936 Edition).” thereto.
Amendment of section 28
9.  Subsection (2) of section 28 of the Ordinance is hereby amended by deleting the words “of the Federation or of Singapore” appearing in the fifth line thereof.
Amendment of section 29
10.  Subsection (5) of section 29 of the Ordinance is hereby amended by deleting the words “any other part of the Federation” appearing in paragraph (b) thereof and substituting therefor the word “Malaysia”.
Amendment of section 35
11.  Section 35 of the Ordinance is hereby amended by deleting the words “of the Federation or of Singapore or of the City Council” appearing in subsection (1) therein.