30.—(1) In relation to an Assembly election a person shall be guilty of a corrupt practice if he commits, or aids, abets, counsels or procures the commission of, the offence of personation.
(2) A person shall be deemed to be guilty of personation at an Assembly election if he—
(a)votes in person or by post as some other person, whether as an elector or as proxy, and whether that other person is living or dead or is a fictitious person; or
(b)votes in person or by post as proxy—
(i)for a person whom he knows or has reasonable grounds for supposing to be dead or to be a fictitious person; or
(ii)when he knows or has reasonable grounds for supposing that his appointment as proxy is no longer in force.
(3) For the purposes of this article, a person who has applied for a ballot paper for the purpose of voting in person or who has marked, whether validly or not, and returned a ballot paper issued for the purpose of voting by post, shall be deemed to have voted.
(4) Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984(1) (arrest without warrant: other persons) does not permit a person other than a constable to arrest, inside a polling station, a person who commits or is suspected of committing an offence under the preceding provisions of this article.
Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (c. 60) was inserted by section 110(1) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15). There is an amendment to section 24A which is not relevant to this Order.