554Receipt for seized thing or sample

554 Receipt for seized thing or sample

554 Receipt for seized thing or sample

(1) This section applies if an authorised officer seizes a thing or sample under this Chapter unless—

(a) it is impracticable or unreasonable for the officer to account for the thing or sample given its condition, nature and value; or

(b) for a thing seized other than under section 549—the officer reasonably believes there is no-one apparently in possession of the thing or the thing has been abandoned.

(2) The authorised officer must, as soon as practicable after the thing or sample is seized, give the relevant person for the thing or sample a receipt that generally describes the thing or sample and its condition.

(3) However, for a thing seized other than under section 549, if a relevant person for the thing is not present when the thing is seized, the receipt may be given by leaving it in a conspicuous position and in a reasonably secure way at the place at which the thing was seized.

(4) The receipt may relate to more than 1 seized thing.

(5) In this section—

relevant person means—

(a) for a thing or sample seized under section 549—

(i) an owner of the thing or sample; or

(ii) a person in possession of the thing, or the thing from which the sample was taken, before the thing or sample was taken for examination under section 500(1)(c); or

(b) for a thing seized under this Chapter other than under section 549—

(i) an owner of the thing; or

(ii) a person in possession of the thing before it was seized.