Under PACE Code A, what is the object of search under Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, section 23?

Under PACE Code A, what is the object of search under Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, section 23?

• A. Controlled drugs
• B. Firearms
• C. Stolen goods
• D. Goods liable to forfeiture

Answer: (A)

This question tests what the search power in PACE Code A, linked to Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 section 23, is aimed at finding. That provision allows a police officer to enter and search premises (or sometimes persons) with reasonable grounds to suspect the presence of controlled drugs, for the purpose of locating and seizing them. So the object of the search is the controlled drugs themselves—the illegal substances the act is designed to tackle. The other items listed would fall under different powers or provisions and are not the target of this specific search power. Firearms, for example, are governed by separate search authorities; stolen goods relate to offences like theft and related searches; goods liable to forfeiture involve different forfeiture regimes rather than the primary aim of locating controlled drugs under this section.

This question tests what the search power in PACE Code A, linked to Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 section 23, is aimed at finding. That provision allows a police officer to enter and search premises (or sometimes persons) with reasonable grounds to suspect the presence of controlled drugs, for the purpose of locating and seizing them. So the object of the search is the controlled drugs themselves—the illegal substances the act is designed to tackle.

The other items listed would fall under different powers or provisions and are not the target of this specific search power. Firearms, for example, are governed by separate search authorities; stolen goods relate to offences like theft and related searches; goods liable to forfeiture involve different forfeiture regimes rather than the primary aim of locating controlled drugs under this section.