ABSTRACT
Under Pt V of the Access to Justice Act 1999, civilian enforcement officers may be employed by magistrates’ courts committees to execute arrest warrants and warrants of commitment, detention or distress issued by justices of the peace. This task was often performed by the police, although for some years prior to the 1999 Act, civilian enforcement officers had been used to execute warrants, albeit in a more limited range of circumstances, such as unpaid fines. The 1999 Act has significantly increased the scope of warrants that they may execute, as well as enabling the contracting out of such tasks to approved enforcement agencies.
