Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024
|
Other offences relating to impersonation | ||
|
100. (1) A person is guilty of an offence if he or she, not being a member of An Garda Síochána— | ||
(a) has in his or her possession any article of garda uniform or any equipment supplied to a member of An Garda Síochána and is not able satisfactorily to account for such possession, | ||
(b) puts on or wears— | ||
(i) without the Garda Commissioner’s permission, any article of garda uniform of any rank or member of An Garda Síochána, or | ||
(ii) without reasonable excuse, any imitation of such article or uniform, | ||
or | ||
(c) for the purpose of doing or procuring to be done any act that he or she would not by law be entitled to do or procure to be done of his or her own authority, assumes the name, designation or description of any rank of or any member of An Garda Síochána. | ||
(2) A person is guilty of an offence if he or she, without lawful authority, has in his or her possession or uses in connection with any trade, business, calling or profession or for any other purpose any article, equipment or vehicle containing or having on it any distinctive badge or crest so closely resembling the badge or crest of An Garda Síochána as to be likely to deceive. | ||
(3) A person is guilty of an offence if he or she, without lawful authority, drives a mechanically propelled vehicle in a public place to which is fitted a lamp that is capable of showing a flashing light in blue which is visible outside of the vehicle and is such as to be likely to deceive another person that the vehicle is being used by a member of An Garda Síochána in the course of the performance of his or her duties. | ||
(4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable— | ||
(a) on summary conviction, to a class B fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both, or | ||
(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both. | ||
(5) Nothing in this section prevents the wearing of any uniform or dress in— | ||
(a) a performance in a theatre, on film or on television or other media, or | ||
(b) with the prior approval of the Garda Commissioner, a public place in the course of making a film, television or other media production. | ||
(6) Nothing in this section prevents the driving of any mechanically propelled vehicle, with the prior approval of the Garda Commissioner, in a public place in the course of making a film, television or other media production. | ||
(7) In this section and in section 101 , “mechanically propelled vehicle” has the same meaning as it has in the Road Traffic Act 1961 . |