16.
—(1) A police officer not below the rank of assistant superintendent may himself do what he may under sections 13 and 14 authorise a police officer to do whenever the police officer not below the rank of assistant superintendent is competent to issue a warrant or authorisation or order in writing under those sections respectively; and also in any of the following cases:
(a)
if any person has within the preceding 6 months been convicted of having kept or used as a common gaming house the place proposed to be entered;
(b)
if the place proposed to be entered is occupied by a club or society and he has reason to believe that habitual gaming is carried on there;
(c)
if he has personal knowledge of such facts and circumstances as satisfy him that there are sufficient grounds for a search under those sections respectively; or
(d)
if he receives the required information orally under such circumstances that the object of a search would in his opinion be defeated by the delay necessary for reducing the information to writing:
Provided that the name and address of the person giving the information are known to or ascertained by the police officer not below the rank of assistant superintendent before he acts upon the information.
(2) Any person who in giving such oral information makes a statement which he knows or believes to be false or does not believe to be true shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months.
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