The Public Stores Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict c 25) is an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
which applied to all stores under the care of the
Secretary of State, including "any public department or office, or of any person in the service of Her Majesty."
Although in parts now superseded by subsequent legislation, or otherwise defunct, some sections are still in force. This includes a power of
stop and search Stop and search or Stop and frisk is a term used to describe the powers of the police to search a person, place or object without first making an arrest.
A 2021 survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found that minority ethnic ...
that is still available to
police constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
s today.
The Act
The Act created various offences relating to the destruction or concealment of such stores,
unlawfully possess or steal such stores,
and also empowered police constables to stop and search any vehicles or vessels in which he has reasonable grounds to suspect is carrying any aforementioned stores which had been obtained illegally.
This power of stop and search is still exercisable by constables today. Other than the
Poaching Prevention Act 1862
Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights.
Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...
, it is the oldest search power in UK legislation.
The Act also prohibited searching for stores, or sweeping or dredging within 100 yards of any naval base, wharf or warehouse, or moored vessel of the
Royal Naval or any such properties belonging to the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
.
See also
*
Broad arrow
A broad arrow, of which a pheon is a variant, is a stylised representation of a metal arrowhead, comprising a tang and two barbs meeting at a point. It is a symbol used traditionally in heraldry, most notably in England, and later by the Brit ...
References
*"Public Stores Act 1875". Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales. Fourth Edition
Volume 12(1) 2008 Reissue. Page 181 to 186.
*"The Public Stores Act 1875". Halsbury's Statutes of England. Third Edition. Butterworths. London. 1969
Volume 8 Pages 200 to 205.
*"The Public Stores Act, 1875". Halsbury's Statutes of England. (The Complete Statutes of England). First Edition. Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Limited. Bell Yard, Temple Bar, London. 1929. Volume 4
Page 683 to 687.
*Lely, J M. "Public Stores". The Statutes of Practical Utility. (Chitty's Statutes). Fifth Edition. Sweet and Maxwell. Stevens and Sons. London. 1895. Volume 10. Title "Public Improvements". Page
80
to 84.
*The Statutes: Third Revised Edition. HMSO. 1950
Volume 9
Page 395 et seq.
*The Statutes Revised: Northern Ireland. Second Edition. HMSO
Volume 2
Page 1033 et seq.
*"Public Stores Act, 1875" (1875) 39 The Justice of the Peac
755
(27 November)
*Jervis, John. "Offences relating to Public Stores". Archbold's Pleading and Evidence in Criminal Cases. Nineteenth Edition, by William Bruce. Henry Sweet. Stevens and Sons. London. 1878. Book II. Part II. Chapter I. Section 10. Page
849
to 851.
External links
*
{{UK legislation
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1875