High court enforcement officers

A High Court enforcement officer (HCEO) is an officer of the High Court of England and Wales responsible for enforcing judgements of the High Court, often by seizing goods or repossessing property. Prior to 2004, HCEOs were known as "sheriff's officers" and were responsible for enforcing High Court writs on behalf of the high sheriff for each county, but are now directly responsible for such writs. HCEOs operate only in England and Wales; Scotland has always had a different legal system, and Scottish sheriffs are a type of Judge.

High Court enforcement officers are authorised by the Lord Chancellor, and assigned to one of a number of enforcement districts. Historically they would be assigned to the shrieval county (roughly the historic shire) of the corresponding high sheriff, but under the Courts Act 2003, this connection is severed and the districts are not obliged to remain coterminus with the shrievalty. They retain the common law powers of a sheriff, and, like the sheriff previously, can spread this authority to others acting in their presence and on their behalf; every constable is obliged, upon their request, to assist them in executing a writ.

Unlike a bailiff, who is an officer of a lower court, an HCEO is an officer of the High Court, and consequently has much greater power. No notice is required to the party on which the writ is executed, commercial premises can be broken into by the officer by any means they choose, and once present in a property they cannot be forcibly removed. Obstructing an HCEO from carrying out their execution of a writ, is, as it was historically, a contempt of court; doing so is likely to result in immediate arrest.

The most common writ is the "writ of control", known until 2014 as a "writ of fieri facias". This writ is essentially debt-collection, but it actually takes the form of an order to the officers to seize goods, from the judgment debtor, worth a particular amount of money; the HCEO will attend the debtor's premises, seize the goods, and then sell them at auction.

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