Clause 65 - Restriction on powers of arrest by
Electoral Administration Bill
3:30 pm
David Cairns (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Scotland Office; Inverclyde, Labour)
I need to clarify the issue. Most people would understand that in the confines of a polling station there is a difference between a police officer coming in and arresting someone and a candidate trying to arrest another candidate, in which case the presiding officer would have to go to the police station. A citizen's arrest inside the polling station could cause more harm than it would prevent.
The overall effect of the clause, taken with provisions in the Serious and Organised Crime Act 2005 is to implement the recommendation by the Electoral Commission that the existing provisions relating to personation should be extended to give the police a power of arrest at any location that they currently have prior to this proposal, not just at the polling station itself.