Commentary First Group of Parts – Discipline Offences against service justice Section 27: Obstructing or failing to assist a service policeman
89.Each of the services have their own service police who are themselves members of the armed forces. The officers of the service police are called “provost officers”.
90.This section provides that persons subject to service law or civilians subject to service discipline may commit an offence if they obstruct, or fail to assist when called upon to do so, a service policeman carrying out his duties or a member of the armed forces acting under the authority of a provost officer (for example, an arrest under section 67 of the Act may be carried out by a person who is acting with a provost officer’s authority).
91.To be guilty of an offence under this section:
	the obstruction or failure to assist must be intentional, and
	the offender must know, or have reasonable cause to believe, that the person he obstructs or fails to assist is a service policeman or a person exercising authority on behalf of a provost officer.