“advocate” means an advocate and solicitor lawfully entitled to practise criminal law in Singapore;
Section history
Section 2 — Interpretation
As in force on 1 January 2015.
Timeline 20 versions
- 2 January 2011 Enacted
- 31 August 2012 Revised edition
- 13 March 2013 Act 3 of 2013
- 7 March 2014 Act 5 of 2014
- 1 October 2014 Act 27 of 2014
- 1 January 2015 Act 41 of 2014, Act 42 of 2014
- 31 August 2018 Act 9 of 2018
- 17 September 2018 Act 19 of 2018
- 31 October 2018 Act 19 of 2018, S 724 of 2018
- 1 January 2019 Act 12 of 2018
- 1 January 2020 Act 15 of 2019
- 2 January 2021 Act 40 of 2019
- 14 May 2021 Act 10 of 2021
- 31 December 2021 Revised edition
- 1 April 2022 Act 25 of 2021
- 3 January 2023 Act 39 of 2022
- 31 May 2024 Act 5 of 2024
- 30 December 2025 Act 32 of 2024, Act 21 of 2025, S 818 of 2025
- 31 December 2025 Act 19 of 2018, Act 40 of 2019, Act 5 of 2024
- 17 August 2026 Latest
(1)In this Code, unless the context otherwise requires —
“arrestable offence” and “arrestable case” mean, respectively, an offence for which and a case in which a police officer may ordinarily arrest without warrant according to the third column of the First Schedule or under any other written law;
“bailable offence” means an offence shown as bailable in the fifth column of the First Schedule or which is made bailable by any other written law, and “non-bailable offence” means any offence other than a bailable offence;
“complaint” means any allegation made orally or in writing to a Magistrate with a view to his taking action under this Code that some person, whether known or unknown, has committed or is guilty of an offence;
“computer” has the same meaning as in the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (Cap. 50A);
“court” means the Court of Appeal, the High Court, a Family Court, a Youth Court, a District Court or a Magistrate’s Court, as the case may be, which exercises criminal jurisdiction;
“criminal record” means the record of any —
(a)conviction in any court, or subordinate military court established under section 80 of the Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295);
(b)order made under section 34(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act (Cap. 185);
(c)supervision order made under section 16 of the Intoxicating Substances Act (Cap. 146A);
(d)order made under section 30 of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (Cap. 67); and
(e)order as may be prescribed by the Minister charged with the responsibility for home affairs to be a criminal record for the purposes of this Code;
“financial institution” has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (Cap. 65A);
“fine” means any fine or financial penalty imposed by any court upon any conviction of any offence;
“Judge” means a Judge of the High Court and includes the Chief Justice and any person appointed to exercise the powers of a Judgesitting in the High Court in accordance with section 9 of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322);
“Judge of Appeal” includes the Chief Justice and a Judge of the High Court sitting as a judge of the Court of Appeal under section 29(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322)any person sitting in the Court of Appeal in accordance with section 29 of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act;
“judicial proceeding” means any proceeding in the course of which evidence is or may be legally taken by a court;
“juvenile” means a person who, in the absence of legal proof to the contrary, is 7 years of age or above and below the age of 16 years in the opinion of the court;
“law enforcement agency” means any authority or person charged with the duty of investigating offences or charging offenders under any written law;
“life imprisonment” means imprisonment for the duration of a person’s natural life;
“non-arrestable offence” and “non-arrestable case” mean, respectively, an offence for which and a case in which a police officer may not ordinarily arrest without warrant according to the third column of the First Schedule or under any other written law;
“offence” means an act or omission punishable by any written law;
“place” includes —
(a)any building or structure, whether permanent or temporary;
(b)any land, whether or not built on;
(c)any place, whether or not enclosed, and whether or not situated underground or underwater;
(d)any vessel, aircraft, train, or vehicle (whether mechanically propelled or otherwise) or any other means of transport; and
(e)any part of any place referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d);
“police officer” has the same meaning as in the Police Force Act (Cap. 235);
“police station” includes —
(a)any office or branch of the Criminal Investigation Department;
(b)the Radio Division of the Singapore Police Force;
(c)any place designated by the Commissioner of Police as a police station; and
(d)any other place designated by the Minister charged with the responsibility for home affairs as a police station;
“Postal Authority” and “public postal licensee” have the same meanings as in section 2 of the Postal Services Act (Cap. 237A);
“proceeding” includes a committal hearing, criminal case disclosure conference and a pre-trial conference, held under Part IX or X, as the case may be;
“property” means money and all other property, movable or immovable, including things in action and other intangible or incorporeal property;
“public body” means —
(a)the Government or any department, office or service of the Government; or
(b)any corporation, authority, board, council, commission, office or other body established by or under any public Act for a public purpose;
“Registrar of the State Courts” includes a Deputy Registrar of the State Courts;
“Registrar of the Supreme Court” includes the Deputy Registrar and an Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court;
“repealed Code” means the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68, 1985 Ed.) repealed by this Code;
“signed” or “signature” and its grammatical variations, in relation to documents signed by a person who is a Judge of the Supreme Court, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Registrar of the State Courts, a District Judge or a Magistrate, shall have the same meaning as defined in section 2 of the Electronic Transactions Act (Cap. 88);
“State Court” means any court constituted under the State Courts Act (Cap. 321) for the administration of criminal justice;
“stolen property” has the same meaning as in section 410 of the Penal Code (Cap. 224);
“Subordinate Court” means any court constituted under the Subordinate Courts Act (Cap. 321) for the administration of criminal justice;
“travel document” means a passport and includes any document issued by any State (including Singapore) or territory for the purpose of facilitating travel by the holder thereof;
“writing” includes any mode of representing or reproducing words, figures, drawings or symbols in a visible form, whether permanent or otherwise.
(2)Words and expressions used in this Code which are defined in the Penal Code but not defined in this section shall have the same meanings given to them by the Penal Code.