PREVENTION OF CRIMES ACT

This Act may be cited as the Prevention of Crimes Act.

In this Act. unless the context otherwise requires-
"crime" means any felony as defined in the Criminal Code;
"criminal" means a person convicted of a crime;
"superior police officer" includes an administrative officer in charge of police and such other person as may be authorised in writing by a superior police officer within the meaning of the Police Act to perform the duties of a superior police officer under this Act.

(1) Where any person is convicted of a crime, and a previous conviction of a crime is proved against him, the court before which he is convicted may, in addition to any other punishment which it may award, direct that he is to be subjected to the supervision of the police for a period not exceeding three years commencing immediately after the expiration of the sentence passed on him for the last of such crimes.
(2) Every person subjected to the supervision of the police officer in Nigeria, shall notify the place of his residence to the nearest superior police officer and, whenever he is about to change his residence, shall notify such intention to the said superior police officer, stating the place to which he is going, and also, if required, and so far as is practicable, his address at that place, and so soon as he arrives at his new place of residence he shall forthwith notify his arrival to the superior police officer stationed nearest to such last-mentioned place
(3) Every such person shall once in each month report himself at such time and in such manner as may be prescribed by the nearest superior police officer, either to such officer himself or to such other person as that officer may direct.
(4) If any person fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section, he shall be guilty of an offence under this Act, unless he proves that he did his best to act in conformity with the law and was prevented by circumstances beyond his control, and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for one year

The Commissioner of Police may, by order under his hand, remit any of the requirements of section 3 of this Act either generally or in the case of any person subject to supervision of the police.

(1) Every person who occupies or keeps a lodging house or any premises licensed under the Liquor Act, or any place of public entertainment or public resort, and knowingly lodges or knowingly harbours thieves or reputed thieves, or knowingly permits or knowingly suffers them to meet or assemble therein, or knowingly allows the deposit of goods therein having reasonable cause for believing them to be stolen, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of twenty naira or to imprisonment for four months.
(2) The court before which a person is convicted under subsection (I) of this section may, in addition to or in lieu of such punishment, require him to enter into his own recognisance with or without sureties for keeping the peace and being of good behaviour during twelve months, and may order him to be imprisoned until such recognisance, with sureties, if so directed, is entered into: but so that the imprisonment for not entering into recognisance shall not extend for a term longer than two months
(3) Any licence for the sale of intoxicating liquor, or for keeping any place of public entertainment or public resort, which has been granted to the occupier or keeper of any such house or place referred to in subsection (1) of this section, may, in the discretion of the court, be forfeited on his first conviction of an offence under this section, and on his second conviction for such an offence his licence shall be forfeited, and he shall be disqualified for a period of two years from receiving any such licence.

The Inspector-General of Police may make regulations for all or any of the purposes following-(a) providing for the registration and photographing of criminals and persons detained by the police or in custody awaiting trial, and the manner, form and places in which registers of criminals and such other persons shall be kept;
(b) prescribing the duties of officers of police or officers in charge of prisons in connection with the registration and photographing of criminals and persons detained or in custody awaiting trial;
(c) providing for the taking by any authorised person of the fingerprints of criminals and persons charged with or being suspected of having committed any felony, misdemeanour, or other offence punishable by imprisonment for one month or more and for the taking of the fingerprints, for comparison, of any person reasonably suspected of having made a finger impression on any document or object likely to become an exhibit in a criminal case
(d) generally for the purpose of giving effect to the objects and purposes of this Act.