Shops (Hours of Trading) Act, 1938

Powers of entry and investigation by members of the Gárda Síochána.

9.—(1) Any member of the Gárda Síochána while in uniform may enter any shop and may there make such investigations as he may think proper and may demand of any person found in such shop his name and address.

(2) The proprietor of any shop, which a member of the Gárda Síochána is entitled to enter under this section, shall do all such things and take all such steps as shall be reasonably required by such member to facilitate, in respect of such shop, the exercise by such member of any of the powers conferred on him by this section, and if any such proprietor fails or refuses to do anything or to take any steps required of him as aforesaid he shall be guilty of an offence under this sub-section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

(3) Every person who does any of the following things, that is to say:—

(a) obstructs or impedes any member of the Gárda Síochána in the exercise of any of the powers conferred on such member by this section, or

(b) when his name or his address is demanded of him by any such member in exercise of a power in that behalf conferred by this section, fails or refuses to give his name or fails or refuses to give his address or gives a name or an address which is false or misleading,

shall be guilty of an offence under this sub-section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

(4) The provisions of this section shall extend to any place where any retail trade or business is carried on as if that place were a shop and as if in relation to any such place the person by whom the retail trade or business is carried on were the proprietor of a shop.