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Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971

Offences - Offences involving treachery, cowardice, and looting

31: Looting

You could also call this:

"Stealing from people or taking things that don't belong to you during a war is called looting"

Illustration for Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971

You commit the offence of looting if you steal from someone who has been killed, wounded, or captured in a war. You also commit this offence if you steal property that has been left alone because of a war. You can be imprisoned for life if you do these things. You commit looting if you take something that belongs to the enemy without permission from the King in right of New Zealand. This includes any supplies that the enemy has left behind or given up. You will be in trouble if you take these things for yourself. If you are in the Armed Forces, you must follow the rules and not take things that do not belong to you, especially during wars or when helping the civil power. You must always try to do the right thing and not steal from others. This is a very serious offence and you can get in big trouble if you do it.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM402701.

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Part 2Offences
Offences involving treachery, cowardice, and looting

31Looting

  1. Every person subject to this Act commits the offence of looting, and is liable to imprisonment for life, who—

  2. steals from, or with intent to steal searches, the person of anyone killed, wounded, or captured in the course of any war or warlike operations in which New Zealand is engaged, or killed, injured, or detained in the course of operations undertaken by any service of the Armed Forces for the preservation of law and order or otherwise in aid of the civil power; or
    1. steals any property which has been left exposed or unprotected in consequence of any such war or operations as are mentioned in paragraph (a); or
      1. appropriates, otherwise than on behalf of His Majesty the King in right of New Zealand, any supplies of any description whatsoever captured from or abandoned by the enemy.

        Notes
        • Section 31(c): editorial change made by the PCO, on , under sections 86(1) and 87(d) of the Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 58).