the deserter; and such authorities shall thereupon take steps for the apprehension of the said deserter in like manner as if he were a person for whose apprehension a warrant had been issued by a magistrate, and shall deliver the deserter, when apprehended, into military custody.
(2) Any police officer may arrest without warrant any person reasonably believed to be subject to this Act, and to be a deserter or to be travelling without authority, and shall bring him without delay before the nearest magistrate, to be dealt with according to law.
106. Inquiry into absence without leave.—(1) When any person subject to this Act haw been absent from his duty without due authority for a period of thirty days, a court of inquiry shall, as soon as practicable, be assembled, and such court shall, on oath or affirmation administered in the prescribed manner, inquire respecting the absence of the person, and the deficiency, if any, in the property of the Government entrusted to his care, or in any arms, ammunition, equipment, instruments, clothing or necessaries; and if satisfied of the fact of such absence without due authority or other sufficient cause, the court shall declare such absence and the period thereof, and the said deficiency, if any, and the commanding officer of the corps or department to which the person belongs shall enter in the court-martial book of the corps or department a record of the declaration.
(2) It the person declared absent does not afterwards surrender or is not apprehended, he shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be a deserter.
107. Provost-marshals.—(1) Provost-marshals may be appointed by the Commander-in-Chief or by any prescribed officer.
(2) The duties of a provost-marshal are to take charge of persons confined for any offence, to preserve good order and discipline, and to prevent breaches of the same by persons serving in, or attached to, the regular Army.
(3) A provost-marshal may at any time arrest and detain for trial any person subject to this Act who commits, or is charged with, an offence, and may also curry into effect any punishment to be inflicted in pursuance of the sentence awarded by a court-martial, or by an officer exercising authority under section 80 but shall not inflict any punishment on his own authority:
Provided that no officer shall be so arrested or detained otherwise than on the order of another officer.
(4) For the purposes of sub-sections (2) and (3), a provost-marshal shall be deemed to include a provost-marshal appointed under any law for the time being in force relating to the government of the Navy or Air Force, and any person legally exercising authority under him or on his behalf.
CHAPTER X
COURT-MARTIAL
108. Kinds of courts-martial.—For the purposes of this Act there shall be four kinds of eoui'ts-mnrtial, that is to say,—
- (a) general courts-martial;
- (b) district courts-martial;
- (c) summary general courts-martial; and
- (d) summary courts-martial.
