Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) No guarding personnel shall, while on duty at any time, under any circumstances, on any pretext, leave his post or absent himself from duty until he is relieved in due course from duty: Provided that he may leave his beat to prevent an escape or to assist in subduing a disturbance taking place within his sight when he is on main wall patrol duty or when he is in charge of prisoners if he can do so without serious risk to the safe custody of those prisoners. It shall rest upon the warder concerned to show that the circumstances were so exceptional as to justify his doing so. (2) No relieving shall, whether by day or night, be effected otherwise than in the presence of both the relieved and relieving personnel and also of third personnel, who shall ordinarily be the Head Warder whose duty it is to carry out such relieving. Duties of guarding personnel on being relieved.