Corrections Act 2004

Corrections system - Coercive powers - Searching of prisoners and other persons

101: Search of vehicles

You could also call this:

"Prison officers can search your vehicle when you visit a prison to keep everyone safe"

Illustration for Corrections Act 2004

If you bring a vehicle into a prison, an officer can search it at any time to check for things that are not allowed or to make sure no prisoner is trying to escape. You might be asked to stop your vehicle, and you will have to keep it stopped until the search is finished. The officer can also ask to look inside any part of your vehicle.

The officer can ask you and any passengers to get out of the vehicle, and they can ask for your name, address, and date of birth. The officer is allowed to use reasonable force to conduct the search. This means they can use force if it is necessary to make the search happen. The officer must be wearing a uniform or a badge that shows they are an officer to be able to do these things.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM296042.


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"Prison staff lockers can be searched by officers with permission"


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102: Reporting of unauthorised items discovered, certain searches, and placement in dry cells, or

"Telling the boss about forbidden items found in prison"

Part 2Corrections system
Coercive powers: Searching of prisoners and other persons

101Search of vehicles

  1. Any vehicle brought into a prison may, while that vehicle is in the prison, be searched by any officer at any time for the purposes of detecting any unauthorised item or any prisoner attempting to escape.

  2. For the purposes of any search of a vehicle under subsection (1), any officer who is in uniform or who is wearing any badge or other article that identifies him or her as an officer may, by direction given to the driver or other person in the vehicle,—

  3. direct, if necessary, that the vehicle be stopped:
    1. direct that the vehicle be kept stopped until the search is completed:
      1. require that the officer be given access to any part of the vehicle:
        1. require any or all of the passengers (including the driver) to get out of the vehicle:
          1. require any or all of the passengers (including the driver) to provide the officer with 1 or more of the following particulars:
            1. his or her name:
              1. his or her address:
                1. his or her date of birth.
                2. Reasonable force may be used for the purposes of conducting that search.

                Compare
                • 1954 No 51 s 21M