Clause 43 - Offences for which a person may be arrested without a warrant
Police Reform Bill [Lords]
5:30 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
I have a brief query that I hope that the Minister can clear up. In the clause, the Government are proposing to amend a reference to the Theft Act 1968, which, as the Minister knows, is one of the principal foundations of modern criminal law. Like all lawyers, I am very familiar with it. Is there any particular significance in replacing
''an offence under section 12(1) of the Theft Act 1968''
with
''one which is a summary offence'',
as is proposed in subsection (4)? I want the Minister to shed some light on that, before we let it through on the nod.