Police Straits Settlements Act, 1863
((Received the assent of the Governor-General on the 15th January 1863.)
PREAMBLE
Whereas it is expedient to amend the law for regulating the Police of the several Stations of the Settlement of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore, and Malacca; It is enacted as follows:
Section 1. Section III of Act XLVIII of 1860 repealed
Section III of Act XLVIII of 1860 (to amend Act XIII of 1856, for regulating the Police of the Towns of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay, and the several Station's of the Settlement of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore, and Malacca) shall cease to have any effect in any of the said Stations from the time when this Act shall comes into, operation, provided that nothing in this Section shall be held to revive the operation of Section XV of the said Act XIII of 1856.
Section 2. Members of the Police Force to sign a declaration that they will serve for a certain period
No person shall be enrolled a member of the Police Force in any of the said Stations, who shall not sign a declaration in the form provided in the Schedule to this Act, that he will serve as a Member of such Force for such period not exceeding five years, as shall be fixed by the Commissioner of Police of such Station acting under the Orders of the Governor of the said Settlement; and no person who shall have signed such declaration shall be at liberty to resign his Office, or to withdraw himself from the duties thereof, except with the permission of the Governor of the said Settlement, to be granted on a Certificate of ill health from a Medical Officer of Government, or on a special recommendation of such Commissioner of Police. Provided that nothing in this Section shall interfere with the power of such Commissioner of Police, under Section X of the said Act XIII of 1856, to suspend or dismiss any Member of the Police Force whom he shall think remiss or negligent in the discharge of his duty, or otherwise unfit for the same.
Section 3. Penalty for deserting or withdrawing service
Every Member of the Police Force in any of the said Stations, who shall have signed the declaration hereinbefore mentioned, and who shall desert or withdraw himself from such Police Force, by absenting himself from duty without reasonable excuse for a period exceeding twenty-four hours, or otherwise, shall, on conviction before a Magistrate, forfeit all arrears of pay and allowances that may be due to him at the time of such desertion or withdrawal, and be liable to a fine not exceeding six months' pay and allowances, and on failure of payment thereof to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a period not exceeding one month if such fine be not sooner paid; or to imprisonment, with or without hard labor, for a period not exceeding three months; or to both fine and imprisonment.
Section 4. Penalty for keeping Taverns and places of public entertainment without a license from the Commissioner of Police
Whoever in any of the Stations of the Straits' Settlement has, or keeps, any Hotel, Tavern, Punch-house, Ale-house, Arrack or Toddy-shop, or place for the sale or consumption of Gunja, Chundoo, or other preparation of Opium, Hemp, or other intoxicating drug, plant, or, substance, or any Eating-house, Coffee-house, Boarding-house, Lodging-house, or other place of public resort and entertainment, wherein provisions, liquors, or refreshments are sold or consumed (whether the same be kept or retailed therein or procured elsewhere), without a license from the Commissioner of Police of such Station, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five Dollars for every day that such unlicensed house or place of any kind is kept open, or that such unlicensed sale is continued; provided that nothing in this Section shall apply to the sale, in reasonable quantities, of any drug, plant, or substance in any Druggist's or Chemist's shop for medicinal purposes only.
Section 5. Licenses by Commisioner of police keeang Taverns and places of Public entertainment
The Commissioner of Police in each of the said Stations shall, from time to time, grant licenses to the keepers of such houses or places of public resort and entertainment as aforesaid in the said Stations respectively, and upon such conditions, to be inserted in every such license, as he, with the sanction of the local Government, from time to time, shall order, for securing the good behaviour of the keepers of the said houses or places of public resort and entertainment, and the prevention of drunkenness and disorder among the persons frequenting or using the same, and the said licenses may be granted by the said Commissioner for any term not exceeding one year; provided always, that it shall not be lawful for the said Commissioner to grant a license to open, or establish, or keep open, any house of public entertainment in which any provisions, liquors, or refreshments of any kind, or in which any Gunja, Chundoo, or other preparation of Opium, Hemp, or other intoxicating drug, plant, or substance, may be sold or consumed, to any person who has not taken out a license for the retail sale of such articles, if a license be necessary, under the Abkaree or Excise Laws for the time being in force; and any such license granted by the Commissioner shall become void whenever the license necessary under the Abkaree or Excise Laws shall terminate or be recalled.
Licenses to be granted only to persons who have taken out the requisite Abkaree licenses. And every holder of such license may be required by the Commissioner to fix, in a conspicuous part of the house or place specified in the license, a board, on which shall be legibly painted, in the English and Vernacular languages, the name of the holder, and the articles he is licensed to deal in.
Fees on licenses. For every license granted under this Section there shall be levied a fee of one Dollar.
Section 6. Penalty for breach of licence
A breach of the conditions of a license granted under the last preceding Section shall, besides forfeiture of the license, be punishable by a fine not exceeding fifty Dollars, and such fine shall be recovered from the person licensed, notwithstanding that such breach may have been owing to the default or carelessness of the servant or other person in charge of the shop or place of sale.
Section 7. Construction of Act
This Act shall be read and taken as part of the said Act XIII of 1856, and shall come into operation on the 1st day of March 1863.
Schedule
FORM OF DECLARATION.
I A.B. do hereby declare that, in consideration of my being enrolled a Member of the a period of Police Force of. I will serve in such Force for years.
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A.B. |
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| Witnesses |
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| C.D. |
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| E.F. |