THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ACT

This section says the Act may be cited as the Criminal Procedure Act. This section defines key terms used in the Act, including age categories, courts, police roles, prosecutors, plea agreement/bargaining, and offence types. This section mostly excludes primary courts, primary court magistrates, and certain appellate/revisional/supervisory court functions from the Act, but it also creates specific exceptions and powers. Offences under the Penal Code, and generally under other laws, must be handled under this Act, unless the other law sets a different rule for investigation, trial, or other handling. This section says the Act’s overriding objective is to achieve just, quick, proportionate, and affordable determination of matters, and courts must try to apply that objective when using the Act or interpreting it.