Police powers.N.I.

Closure of roads, etc.N.I.

12.—(1) If a constable considers it immediately necessary for the preservation of the peace or the maintenance of order, he may—

(a)wholly or partly close a road;

(b)divert or otherwise interfere with a road or the use of a road;

(c)prohibit or restrict the exercise of a right of way;

(d)prohibit or restrict the use of a waterway.

(2) A person commits an offence if he interferes with—

(a)works executed in connection with the exercise of the power conferred by paragraph (1); or

(b)any apparatus, equipment or other thing used in connection with the exercise of that power.

(3) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under paragraph (2) to prove that he had a reasonable excuse for his interference.

(4) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (2) shall be liable on summary conviction to—

(a)imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months,

(b)a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or

(c)both.

(5) Proceedings for an offence under this Article shall not be instituted without the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

(6) In this Article —

“road” has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (NI 2);

“waterway” has the same meaning as in the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (NI 6).