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97-458: As of May 2013, there are nine Forest Keepers, three Senior Forest Keepers and one Head Keeper, each of whom is sworn in as a constable . In addition, the Superintendent of Epping Forest was attested as a constable in 2014. The reason for the attestation related to both his involvement in incidents in the forest when going about his duties and to strengthen his role as a 'decision maker' in

194-554: A police station , traffic police constables control road traffic, telecommunication constables manage communications, whereas armed police constables are attached to armed police units. The types of constables are based on nature of their duties. The Indian police constables do a wide range of duties like patrol, beat system, crime detection, escorting of prisoners and VIPs, guarding vital offices and installations, vehicle traffic control on roads, riot control, assisting civil administration during disasters, epidemics and elections. Generally

291-460: A constable is an elected office-holder at the parish level. Historically, a constable could also refer to a castellan , the officer charged with the defence of a castle. Even today, there is a Constable of the Tower of London . An equivalent position is that of marshal , which derives from Old High German marah ('horse') and schalh ('servant'), and originally meant "stable keeper", which has

388-491: A constable or "peace officer". Whilst an Epping Forest Constable would not have constabulary powers under this Act, any Keeper, Reeve or Bailiff appointed under the Epping Forest Act 1878 holds a statutory position that could considered to be a "peace officer". This is further reinforced by their role in enforcing byelaws that create offences relating to going equipped to engage in poaching-like behaviour. Firearms As it

485-408: A constable with a power of arrest for any offence, providing that the relevant criteria are satisfied. The powers under Section 24 would apply to an Epping Forest Constable which could, for example, allow them to arrest someone for an offence in order to allow the prompt and effective investigation of the matter, if they believed it to be necessary; this is usually used to justify an arrest where someone

582-457: A constable, that of the collation of evidence , comes from Bracton , a jurist writing between 1220 and 1250: In whatever way they come and on whatever day, it is the duty of the constable to enroll everything in order, for he has record as to the things he sees; but he cannot judge, because there is no judgment at the Tower , since there the third element of a judicial proceeding is lacking, namely

679-406: A constable. The current number of Forest Keepers is much lower than is historically listed, as there have been as many as twenty one forest keepers in the past. However, the level of acquired knowledge of Forest Keepers means that they are acutely attuned to everyday activities in the forest. Generally the forest keepers act as forest rangers and very rarely use their powers as a constable. Under

776-457: A dead deer (whether acquired through hunting or found dead, perhaps through a road accident), as all deer belong to the Conservators. The use of such power would require careful consideration as to whether such items may be deemed to be "stolen goods", although the threshold for the search only requires the level of suspicion. Offensive weapons It is an offence to carry a weapon of offence in

873-445: A geographical limit within which they can exercise those powers, suggesting that they can do so off of forest land if the matter is in relation to their jurisdiction. They are sworn in before a justice of the peace for Essex . Not all Forest Keepers are attested as constables. Whilst it has been erroneously suggested that the keepers are sworn in as special constables , section 43 of the Act

970-449: A judge and jurisdiction. He has record as to matters of fact, not matters of judgment and law. In Bracton's time, anyone seeing a "misdeed" was empowered to make an arrest. The role of the constable in Bracton's description was as the "eyes and ears" of the court, finding evidence and recording facts on which judges could make a ruling. By extension, the constable was also the "strong arm" of

1067-573: A knife by a rough sleeper on 15/01/2014 and two Forest Keepers were assaulted during another arrest. Two other Keepers were threatened at or near their place of residence in 2012. Regardless, the Committee concluded that the wearing of personal protective equipment would make them look confrontational and is increasingly counter to the direction the service is going. Forest Keepers are increasingly more often found leading volunteer tasks and chairing local community initiatives rather than telling people off. In

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1164-476: A lawyer, junior police prosecutor, outranks the most senior rank for a policeman, chief superintendent, as the former is the most junior of the "higher ranks" whereas the latter is the most senior of the "lower ranks". The fire brigades (all municipal) still use "konstabel" as in "brannkonstabel" (fire-constable). In 2016 the Royal Norwegian Navy started using "konstabel" to describe the enlisted ranks in

1261-566: A legal anomaly in that the constabulary powers afforded by their attestation only relate to Hampstead Heath and cannot be exercised in any other park or open space under the control of the City of London. Therefore, a Hampstead Heath Constable would have no police powers in Epping Forest as neither of the two piece of legislation that enable their constabulary powers relate to Epping Forest. Forest Keepers deal with byelaw offences made under Section 46 of

1358-525: A local authority under the 1967 Act. However, the power to attest officers is enabled by Section 5(1) of the London Government Reorganisation (Hampstead Heath) Order 1989, which allows the City of London to exercise the same functions that the former Greater London Council had in relation to Hampstead Heath. Therefore, the 1967 Act only recognises the City of London Corporation as a relevant authority in relation to Hampstead Heath. This creates

1455-447: A minimum of five years' service (one year as a probationary constable in addition to four years as constable) and then upon passing probity checks and an exam. Incremental senior constable is attained after ten years of service automatically. One is appointed to the rank of leading senior constable on a qualification basis, but must have a minimum of seven years' service amongst other criteria in order to be eligible. Leading senior constable

1552-429: A new operational model was introduced with a focus on Forest Keepers undertaking high visibility foot and mountain bike patrols. The Keepers are split into sections covering either the north, south or central areas of the forest, which cover the 38 components that the forest has been divided into. The new model placed a greater emphasis on Forest Keepers undertaking a highly visible "ambassadorial" role, rather than one that

1649-562: A normal person to enforce criminal law, other than 'public justice offences' in relation to them exercising their police powers to enforce the Epping Forest Act (such as obstructing a constable, assaulting a constable or wasting police time in relation to making any false allegations of offences committed under the Epping Forest Act). Where this article may also refer to an "Epping Forest Constable" in places, it should be inferred that it refers to those Forest Keepers that have been attested as

1746-400: A police constable does his duty in his jurisdiction area, but can be assigned anywhere by his superiors depending on the situation or need. The duty hours of Indian police constables are erratic, many times without weekly time off or leave. Police recruitment is based on a written test, plus physical and medical tests. After appointment all police constables have to undergo compulsory training;

1843-482: A police officer of the rank above constable, and is denoted by way of two chevrons or stripes. The New South Wales Police Force has three grades of senior constable, namely senior constable (two chevrons), incremental senior constable (two chevrons and a horizontal bar), and leading senior constable (two chevrons and two horizontal bars). A senior constable is senior to a constable but junior to an incremental senior constable. Promotion to senior constable can occur after

1940-496: A range of different offences in relation to offences against the forest, including objects, animals, flora and fauna therein. The byelaws include the offences of "nuisance behaviour" and "engaging in disorderly conduct", which would cover a wide range of scenarios in terms of addressing antisocial behaviour or public order. Within that context, there are not many situations where the powers of an Epping Forest Constable would be insufficient to enable them to make an arrest if they were in

2037-462: A rank in its own right, one that a lot of members pass through on their way from constable to sergeant, though this is not strictly necessary and it is permissible to be promoted to sergeant direct from senior constable. The general form of address for both senior constable and leading senior constable is "senior", and this is acceptable even in courts. In Canada, as in the United Kingdom, constable

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2134-622: A result of the prosecutions, 12 people were fined a total of £2,575. Epping Forest is not a separate police area . The statutory responsibility for policing the forest rests either with the Metropolitan Police for parts of the forest within the Metropolitan Police District or Essex Police for the remainder of the forest located in the Essex Police area. Section 45(1) of the Epping Forest Act clarifies that Epping Forest

2231-531: A return to a more traditional role, some Keepers now also actively participate in practical works, mirroring the older model of Keeper/Woodsman, which was discarded in the last 30 to 40 years to focus on a more enforcement focus. This duality of purpose has led to tensions both within the service and with management. The Keepers pursue an approach of advising and educating forest users in relation to by law infringements. Whilst there isn't comprehensive information available on their enforcement activity, some information

2328-416: A similar etymology. In Australia, as in the United Kingdom, constable is the lowest rank in most police services. It is often categorised into the following (from lowest to highest): probationary constable; constable; constable first class; senior constable; leading senior constable. These variations depend on the individual state or territory police force in question. Senior constable generally refers to

2425-481: A site of Site of Special Scientific Interest , which is a conservation designation that denotes it as a protected area . The protection of the forest's fauna, flora, geological or physiographical / geomorphological features is a common theme for the activity of a Forest Keeper. On an operational basis, common duties may include the following areas of focus: Following the Mounted Section being disbanded in 2009,

2522-582: A situation where someone was committing a criminal offence, if it was necessary to pursue such a course of action. For example, offences such as drunk and disorderly, offences under the Public Order Act 1986 , some offences committed within the forest under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 , many forms of assault and the public consumption of drugs would probably contravene these byelaws. In such scenarios, an Epping Forest Constable could theoretically arrest

2619-418: A state. A constable may be an official responsible for service of process , such as summonses and subpoenas for people to appear in court in criminal and/or civil matters; on the other hand, they can be fully empowered law enforcement officers. Constables may also have additional specialized duties unique to the office. In some states, a constable may be appointed by the governor or a judge or magistrate of

2716-571: Is marshal . The titles of sparapet and spaspet , derived from the ancient Iranian spahbod , were used to designate the supreme commander of the armed forces in the medieval kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia, respectively. The position of constable originated from the Roman Empire ; by the 5th century AD the Count of the Stable ( Latin : comes stabuli ) was responsible for the keeping of horses at

2813-470: Is a "place of public resort" (presumably to mean a "public place") and that the powers and duties of the Metropolitan Police and Essex Police extend therein (presumably to clarify that they have a duty to police it). This contrasts with the status of a council owned park which, whilst considered a public place when open, is in fact private property and the police would only have a responsibility to respond to incidents, rather than to patrol. Section 45(3) of

2910-413: Is a specialist position of which there are limited allocated numbers within any section/unit or local area command. If an officer is transferred to another duty type or station, the officer is then relieved of the position of leading senior constable: it is primarily a position for field training officers who oversee the training and development of inexperienced probationary constables or constables. Within

3007-832: Is a statutory committee that is constituted under Section 31 of the Epping Forest Act 1878. The City of London Corporation chose not to enter into a voluntary arrangement with the Independent Police Complaints Commission in accordance with Section 26 of the Police Reform Act 2002 so the IPCC has no jurisdiction over the Constables. However, advice is sought from the City of London Police Professional Standards Department in relation to disciplinary issues. Nonetheless, any criminal allegations made against Forest Keepers would be

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3104-561: Is an offence to carry a firearm in the forest, the power of search under the Firearms Act 1968 would apply to an Epping Forest Constable. The power of search is not restricted to seeking evidence of offences under the Firearms Act itself and as carrying a firearm is a specific offence under the byelaws, the power of search would apply as an enabling power in support of enforcing the byelaws. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides

3201-473: Is an offence under Section 44 of the Epping Forest Act 1878. This would relate to someone causing an obstruction or assault in relation to them carrying out their wide range of duties under the Act. The offences of assaulting or obstructing a constable under the Police Act 1996 would apply to an Epping Forest Constable if they are acting in their capacity as a constable at that moment in time. The byelaws cover

3298-583: Is available below that has been abstracted from various reports that gives some indication of mix of outcomes from their interventions with the public: It could be calculated that there are around an average of 17 'advisory conversations' recorded each day within Epping Forest. Between 2007 and February 2013 there were an average of 8.6 prosecutions per year. However, recent press reports suggest an increased number of people are being prosecuted for mushroom picking and 15 people were due to attend court in January 2014. As

3395-764: Is centralised under the Volunteer Special Constabulary in Singapore. In South Africa , this rank is the first rank that you come across when you join the South African Police Service In Sri Lanka , the Sri Lanka Police have the rank of "police constable", with four classes. There are two main definitions of a constable in the United Kingdom: The latter usage is mainly in formal contexts, including legislation such as

3492-478: Is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other people may be granted powers of a constable without holding this title. Historically, the title comes from the Latin comes stabuli ( attendant to the stables , literally 'count of the stable') and originated from the Roman Empire ; originally, the constable was the officer responsible for keeping the horses of a lord or monarch . The title

3589-581: Is detained for the purposes of an interview. More commonly, arrest powers exercised under this Act may be where the Epping Forest Constable doubts the person's name and / or address. An Epping Forest Constable would have the power to search anyone that they have arrested using their constabulary powers, if they suspect that the person is in possession of evidence relating to an offence or they are in possession of an item that might be used to escape lawful custody utilising their powers under Section 32 of

3686-499: Is granted by the Epping Forest and Commons Committee through powers delegated to them by the Court of Common Council . Epping Forest Constables would have a power of arrest to arrest someone that failed to appear for cases in which they are the prosecuting authority if they requested to be named on the warrant. However, it may be impractical for them to do so. The Forest Keepers sit within accountability arrangements that ultimately feed into

3783-461: Is just reactive and focuses on monitoring and enforcement. This seems to have had mixed results, with varying workloads and differing work environments not being reflected in the resources deployed by the Conservators. Despite being attested constables, the Forest Keepers do not carry batons or handcuffs. The Epping Forest and Commons Committee were informed that a Forest Keeper was threatened with

3880-431: Is no power to search individuals under the Act. The Act makes a distinction between the power to detain suspected offenders and the power to apprehend (arrest) them. This power also applies to any constable, which could be considered unique in policing as the police have very few powers to detain (as opposed to arrest) individuals. In the book'A Keeper's Tale' reference is made to taking those suspected of byelaw offences to

3977-456: Is not a rank: it is merely a designation for officers who have served for 18 years. Police constable (abbreviated PC) is the lowest police rank in India, below head constable . General law and order being a state subject in India, each state government recruits police constables. A police constable has no shoulder insignia, while a head constable has one or more stripes or chevrons, depending on

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4074-658: Is only used within the army, as both the navy and air force use a specialist rank instead. In the Finnish Police , the lowest rank of police officer is called nuorempi konstaapeli , translated into English as (junior) constable. The next rank is vanhempi konstaapeli or senior constable. The next highest rank (equivalent to a police sergeant in the English-speaking world) is ylikonstaapeli ( yli- "leading"), literally "over-constable". The Hong Kong Police Force have two ranks for constables: Senior constable

4171-410: Is quite clear that they are attested as constables. The City of London Corporation may designate any member of staff with the full powers and privileges of a police constable under Section 16, Corporation of London Open Spaces Act 1878, to be exercised within open spaces under their control; however, Section 22 of the Act specifically states that the Act does not relate to Epping Forest. In comparison,

4268-740: Is set out by Section 1 of the Police Act 1996 . There are 43 police areas in England and Wales , most of which are defined by Schedule 1 of the 1996 act. They may be altered by order of the Home Secretary . The two other areas, the Metropolitan Police District and the City of London police area, are defined by Section 76 of the London Government Act 1963 and the City of London Police Act 1839 respectively. Northern Ireland and Scotland each have only one territorial police force:

4365-403: Is set out in the various police areas below. Special police forces and other non-territorial constabularies do not have police areas and their respective specialist areas of responsibility are shared with the relevant geographic territorial police force. Ultimately the chief officer of a territorial police force has primacy over all law enforcement within his police area even if it is within

4462-631: Is the lowest rank in most law enforcement services, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . In Newfoundland the provincial police are the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary , whereby all officers are addressed by the term "constable". In addition, the chief officers of some municipal police services in Canada, notably Vancouver Police Department , carry the title of chief constable . In Canadian French , constable

4559-537: Is translated to agent , except in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police where it is translated as gendarme . Appointments can further be separated into: Within the Danish Defence , constables are the lowest rank group. The ranks of Konstabel , Overkonstabel and Overkonstabel af 1. grad are used for professional enlisted soldiers, sailors and airmen. However, Overkonstabel af 1. grad

4656-456: The City of London Corporation have granted Hampstead Heath Constabulary Officers this power, although it would not apply in Epping Forest. Hampstead Heath Constables are also attested under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provision Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967, which is legislation that is specific to London. The City of London are not recognised as

4753-516: The Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. The responsibility for the Forest is vested in the Epping Forest and Commons Committee comprising twelve City members and four Verderers . The Verderers are elected every seven years by the Forest’s Commoners. The policies and directives of the Committee are carried out by the Superintendent of Epping Forest. The Epping Forest Committee

4850-603: The French monarchy , was the First Officer of the Crown of France and was originally responsible for commanding the army . His symbol of office was a longsword held by a hand issuing out of a cloud, a reference to the constable's duty of carrying the king's sword during a coronation ceremony. Some constables were prominent military commanders in the medieval period, such as Bertrand du Guesclin who served from 1370 to 1380. The office of

4947-665: The Government of India , also maintain the same ranks as state police even though their jurisdiction varies considerably, with the constables recruited to the CAPF having to do duty all over India. They perform duties such as maintaining internal security, border guarding , and counter-insurgency operations and riot control . Similarly, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) maintains the ranks of Constable and Head Constable. However, their duties and jurisdiction are specifically focused on

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5044-473: The Great Officers of State , was established in the kingdoms of England and Scotland during the reigns of King Stephen (1135–1154) and King David (1124–1154) respectively, and was responsible for the command of the army. However, the term was also used at the local level within the feudal system , describing an officer appointed to keep order. One of the first descriptions of one of the legal duties of

5141-404: The Police Act 1964 . Nonetheless, modern day police powers were not necessarily developed to specifically cater for constables that only have police powers for specific purposes, rather than for constables that enjoy full police powers within their jurisdiction. The powers of arrest afforded to Epping Forest Constables from the Epping Forest Act remain unchanged. Nonetheless, enabling legislation in

5238-480: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 . An Epping Forest Constable could find themselves in a position where they discover evidence of an offence to which they have no power of arrest, such as illegal drugs. Any offence committed contrary to the Epping Forest Act 1878, or the byelaws contained therein, would attract a maximum penalty of £200. Assaulting or resisting a constable, reeve, assistant reeve, bailiff or keeper

5335-497: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 . By this definition all police officers are constables, even those that do not hold the actual rank of constable. The head of most police forces is a chief constable , volunteer officers of any rank are known as special constables , and some police forces have the word "Constabulary" in their name. In the United States, use of the term constable is inconsistent, and use may even vary within

5432-574: The Victoria Police , senior constable is the rank above constable, while above senior constable is leading senior constable. When first introduced into the Victoria Police, leading senior constable was a classification not a rank, somewhat like "detective"; leading senior constables were appointed specifically to assist in the training and mentoring of more junior members. The last round of wage negotiations, however, saw leading senior constable become

5529-508: The Act. The Theft Act 1968 specifically acknowledges in Section 34.2 (b) that an item "severed from the land by stealing" can be considered stolen goods. As such, Epping Forest Constables would theoretically have a power to search an individual for stolen items, if they suspected the person to be in possession of anything taken from the Forest in contravention of by-laws, as such items could be considered to be "stolen". This power would apply whether

5626-405: The Conservators of the forest the power to swear in reeves , assistant reeves, bailiffs or other officers appointed by them for 'securing the better execution' of the Act and their bylaws. Epping Forest keepers are sworn as constables under section 43 of the Act, giving them the powers and privileges of a constable in relation to enforcing by-laws and the Epping Forest Act. The Act does not specify

5723-496: The Corporation of London is acting in a private capacity (i.e. not as a local authority) to manage Epping Forest. The Keepers are not subject to the framework associated with the IPCC and are not subject to FOI. This arrangement for an attested constable is unique within the United Kingdom. The Epping Forest Act enshrines the right of certain forest parishes to nominate persons to be appointed as Reeves and Assistant Reeves, subject to

5820-577: The Deer Sanctuary under the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1959 and may make byelaws accordingly. Modern day police powers, and indeed the office of constable itself, have evolved considerably since the first Epping Forest Constables were attested in 1878; however, the legislation that facilitates their office remains unchanged and has survived significant police reform, including the mass mergers and consolidations of constabularies and police organisations into modern day police forces facilitated through

5917-567: The Environmental Protection Act 1990. However, an anomaly exists that they only have the powers of a constable to enforce the specific byelaws made under Section 46 of the Epping Forest Act 1878. The Deer Sanctuary in Theydon Bois is not actually located within Epping Forest and is technically located adjacent to it. As such, Epping Forest Keepers have no constabulary powers there. However, the City exercises its powers in relation to

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6014-402: The Epping Forest Act 1878, and under Section 9 - Regulation of Horse Riding - of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1971, Section 4 of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1971 - restriction of rights of common, Section 9 City of London (Various Powers) Act 1990 - riding of horses, Section 10 - new byelaws, also under Section 87 - leaving litter - and Section 88 - fixed penalty notices - of

6111-534: The Epping Forest Act places a duty on the Conservators of Epping Forest to pay, out of the Epping Forest Fund, the Metropolitan Police and Essex Police for "the services of constables" within the forest. There is nothing to suggest that either force currently receives payment for policing services within the forest. The power to swear in constables is derived from the Epping Forest Act 1878 . This gives

6208-545: The Epping Forest Act: Stolen goods The byelaws make it an offence in certain circumstances to take anything from the forest and, as such, it could be held that such items are considered to be "stolen goods" according to the definition outlined in Section 24 of the Theft Act 1968 ; even though the act of taking them may not necessarily be considered "theft" in accordance with the offence outlined within Section 1 of

6305-473: The Indian railway network. RPF personnel are responsible for protecting railway property, preventing accidents, and ensuring passenger safety. Nearly all the police constables wear khaki -coloured uniforms, which indicate that they are police personnel. Generally there are three types of constables in India, depending upon the unit, wing, branch or section they are attached to. Civil police constables are attached to

6402-520: The United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Nations and some Continental European countries, a constable is the lowest rank of police officer (it is also, when preceded by the term sworn , used to describe any police officer with arrest and other powers), while in the United States a constable is generally an elected peace officer with lesser jurisdiction than a sheriff ; however, in the Channel Islands

6499-508: The approval of the Conservators. The office of Reeve has its origins in Anglo-Saxon times and Shire Reeves often had a role in the prevention and detection of crimes. The word "sheriff" has its origin in and is a contraction of the words "Shire Reeve". Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement . The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. Constable

6596-408: The byelaws, or if they have reasonable suspicion to believe that a person has committed an offence against the byelaws, they may stop and detain them, and if their name and address are unknown, they may 'stop and apprehend' them instead (presumably meaning arrest ). They also have the power to stop, detain and examine vehicles or things to which the offence, or suspected offence, relates. However, there

6693-527: The constable ( Polish : posterunkowy ) is the lowest rank in the Police . The next rank in hierarchy is the senior constable ( Polish : starszy posterunkowy ), and then, the sergeant . To be promoted, the police officer has to serve as a constable for a year, and again for a year as a senior constable. In Singapore , a police constable (abbreviated to PC) is the lowest rank in the Singapore Police Force . The rank of special constable exists, but

6790-565: The constable was introduced in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066 and was responsible for the keeping and maintenance of the king's armaments and those of the villages as a measure of protecting individual settlements throughout the country. Some authorities place the origins of constables in England earlier, attributing the creation of the office to during the reign of King Alfred (871 A.D.). The office of Lord High Constable , one of

6887-770: The constable was the highest-ranking officer of the army, and was responsible for the overseeing of martial law . Village -level Chinese officials – known as tingzhang during the Qin and Han dynasties , lizheng , during the Sui and Tang , baozheng during the Song , and dibao and shoubao during the Qing  – are sometimes translated constable for their functions of reporting crimes and administering local justice, although they also served as tax agents and notaries . The Constable of France ( Connétable de France ), under

6984-498: The court (i.e., of the common law ), marking the basic role of the constable that continues into the present day. Police area A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing . Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing policing services and enforcing criminal law, which

7081-405: The court which he or she serves; in others the constable is an elected or appointed position at the state or local level of local government. Their jurisdiction can vary from statewide to county/parish and local township boundaries based on the state's laws. The office developed from its British counterpart during the colonial period. Prior to the modernization of law enforcement which took place in

7178-570: The duration of training may vary from nine months to one year depending on state. The training and duty of police is physically and mentally strenuous in India. In the Norwegian Police Service the rank politikonstabel was until 2003 the lowest rank in the police, the next ranks being "politioverkonstabel", "politibetjent", "politiførstebetjent", "politioverbetjent" and "politistasjonssjef", "lensmann" or "sysselmannsoverbetjent" (all officially translated as chief superintendent). In 2003,

7275-413: The execution of this historic office. To clarify, Epping Forest Constables very rarely use their police powers and the fact that they are a constable is generally sufficient when they have an interaction with the public where they require the name and address of an individual. Prosecutions are rare and arrests are now almost non-existent. If a constable sees or finds a person committing an offence against

7372-409: The forest and the power of search under S.1 PACE applies. The word "carry" could be interpreted as being narrower in scope than the word "possess", which is worthy of note. Someone could be technically in possession of an offensive weapon, although they may not actually be carrying it; such as, if it was in the boot of their car, rather than on their person. S.1 PACE uses the term 'offensive weapons' as

7469-479: The form of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, its subsequent amendments and other pieces of legislation provide additional powers for Epping Forest Constables to enforce the Epping Forest Act and its byelaws. As such, the powers that exist for Epping Forest Constables are a unique menu of powers that reflect their historical niche. The sections below offer some commentary on how modern day police powers may facilitate

7566-573: The imperial court. The West European term "constable" itself was adopted, via the Normans , as konostaulos in the Komnenian and Palaiologan periods, when it became a high military office of dignity. Late Roman administrative titles were used by Charlemagne in developing his empire; the position of Constable, along with the similar office of Marshal , spread throughout the emerging states of Western Europe during this period. In most medieval nations,

7663-539: The individual took the item or was merely in possession of it, regardless of whether they knew that such items were stolen or not. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) Codes of Practice Code A (paragraph 2.7) allows for a search to be undertaken for stolen goods even if a power of arrest may not be present, thereby allowing an Epping Forest Constable to search in order to investigate by law infringements. This could include, for example, those suspected of picking mushrooms. This may also apply to anyone suspected of removing

7760-433: The instigation of proceedings for offences committed under the Epping Forest Act. The powers of these roles relate exclusively to the enforcement of the Epping Forest Act 1878 and the byelaws made there under. Not all byelaws that are in operation within Epping Forest are made under that Act and the constables have no specific police power in order to enforce them. The constables also have no powers over and above those of

7857-508: The mid-19th century, local law enforcement was performed by constables and watchmen . Constables were appointed or elected at the local level for specific terms and, like their UK counterparts the parish constable , were not paid and did not wear a uniform. However, they were often paid a fee by the courts for each writ served and warrant executed. Following the example of the British Metropolitan Police established in 1829,

7954-507: The navy. Other ranks (OR) 2 to 4+ all use the term "konstabel": In Pakistan , constable and head constable are, respectively, the lowest and second-lowest ranks in the police force. The police constables in Pakistan do a wide range of duties like patrol, crime detection, escort of prisoners and VIPs, vehicle traffic control on roads, riot control, assisting civil administration during disasters, epidemic, elections and other tasks. In Poland ,

8051-487: The object for the search and does not restrict the search to seeking evidence of an offense contrary to S.1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 ; therefore, the power of search relates to any offence that prohibits possessing offensive weapons, which would include byelaws. Poaching equipment The Prevention of Poaching Act 1868 creates a power of search for poaching equipment in certain circumstances that can be exercised by

8148-514: The person using their police powers in relation to byelaws and the local police could be called to deal with the substantive criminal matter. Authorised Epping Forest Keepers prosecute cases within a Magistrates Court, whereby they have the right of audience to present and prosecute a case under Section 223 of the Local Government Act 1972 . Keepers often have to complete their 6-month probationary period before receiving authorisation, which

8245-485: The police lawyers, who all hold higher ranks, require the law degree " candidatus/candidata juris " or "Master of Laws" ( master i rettsvitenskap ), awarded after five or six years of law studies. Following reforms of the police, a law degree is no longer required by law for all higher ranks, although only lawyers can act as prosecutors and supervise criminal investigations, for which reason it is still common for those holding higher ranks to be lawyers. The entry-level rank for

8342-759: The police station in order to verify their identities, which presumedly amounts to detention under the Epping Forest Act. Epping Forest Constables do not routinely exercise such powers and there is nothing to suggest that it is within the scope of their current role to do so. Whilst the Epping Forest Act does not give a specific power to stop and search individuals, it does provide the power to 'examine' (presumably to mean to 'search') vehicles in relation to suspected byelaw offences. As Keepers are neither trained nor equipped to detain individuals, they simply do not exercise that power. The same applies to stop and search. Nonetheless they do theoretically have some stop and search powers if they are used in relation to byelaws made under

8439-469: The provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Nonetheless, requests for information can still be submitted, although there is no statutory obligation for the City of London Corporation to respond to them. An Epping Forest Keeper took the City of London Corporation to an industrial tribunal after he was dismissed following raising concerns regarding racist material being shown to him. The Keeper alleged that he

8536-469: The ranks "politikonstabel", "politioverkonstabel" and "politibetjent" were renamed "politibetjent 1", "politibetjent 2" and "politibetjent 3", where "politibetjent 1" is the entry-level rank for a policeman and most junior rank of the police service. All ranks higher than chief superintendent are commissioned ranks, known simply as "higher ranks", and traditionally required a law degree. The Norwegian Police Service has an integrated prosecution service in which

8633-637: The remit of a special police force such as the British Transport Police on the railway infrastructure, the Ministry of Defence Police on MOD property or a port constabulary on a port. The Metropolitan Police District was the first example of a police area. Police areas were introduced with the passage of the Police Act 1964 and Police (Scotland) Act 1967 , when a number of small (mainly county borough) police forces were merged with county ones. The current system of police areas in England and Wales

8730-477: The responsibility of the either the Metropolitan Police or Essex Police to investigate. The Forest Keepers are paid for out of charitable and private funds held by the City of London Corporation and, as such, their activity is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act . This contrasts with the status of most other constables appointed to serve within private constabularies, such as Port Police, who are subject to

8827-478: The state. Since each state has its own police force, the uniforms and insignia of the police vary, though the rank structure is the same. In the Kerala State Police , the designations for personnel in the ranks of constable and head constable are Civil Police Officer (CPO) and Senior Civil Police Officer (SCPO), respectively. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), under the Ministry of Home Affairs of

8924-496: The states gradually enacted laws to permit municipalities to establish police departments. This differed from the UK in that the old system was not uniformly abolished in every state. Often the enacting legislation of the state conferred a police officer with the powers of a constable, the most important of these powers being the common law power of arrest. Police and constables exist concurrently in many jurisdictions. Perhaps because of this,

9021-463: The terms of the Epping Forest Act 1878, the purpose of the Forest is to provide an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the public and this is to be achieved by conserving the Forest in all its vegetative forms and doing it in such a way that the Forest feels to the visitor to be a natural place. The role of the Epping Forest Keeper is to ensure that this is achieved. Epping Forest is

9118-571: The title "constable" is not used for police of any rank. The lowest rank in a police organization would be officer, deputy, patrolman, trooper and, historically, private , depending on the particular organization. In many states, constables do not conduct patrols or preventive policing activities. In such states the office is relatively obscure to its citizens. A constable may be assisted by deputy constables as sworn officers or constable's officers as civil staff, usually as process servers. In some states, villages or towns, an office with similar duties

9215-547: Was imported to the monarchies of medieval Europe, and in many countries developed into a high military rank and great officer of state (e.g. the Constable of France , in French Connétable de France , who was the commander-in-chief of all royal armed forces (second to the king) until Prime Minister Cardinal Richelieu abolished the charge in 1627). Most constables in modern jurisdictions are law enforcement officers. In

9312-405: Was insufficiently transparent about its finances, the City of London Corporation revealed that its " City's Cash " account – an endowment fund built up over the past 800 years that it says is used "for the benefit of London as a whole" – holds more than £1.3bn. The fund collects money made from the corporation’s property and investment earnings. The Forest Keepers are paid for by private funds and

9409-490: Was victimised as a result of raising concerns and that the act of showing him the material amounted to harassment. The Corporation of London denied this. However, they accepted that he was shown racist material and that the material contained racist words. The Metropolitan Police dropped the investigation as they had been assured that the matter was being dealt with internally. The Epping Forest Keepers are paid for from private funds. In December 2012, following criticism that it

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