Bailiffs, along with judges and magistrates, have their own important role to play in the civil justice system as they are officers who enforce court orders.

There are 43 bailiffs appointed within the Perth metropolitan area, each of whom employs between one and nine bailiff assistants. In each of the Southwest, Great Southern, Pilbara, Kimberley, and Peel regions there are an additional three self-employed bailiffs, who may also employ assistants.

Police officers are appointed as bailiffs of the Magistrates Court in the State's more remote country areas. In the metropolitan area, there are roughly an equal number of male and female bailiffs.

There are no specific education requirements to become a bailiff, however, a policing background or one in private investigative work or experience in finance or legal administration may be advantageous to gaining employment in this occupation.

Each year, about 200 training places are offered in the WA Police Service training program and over the past few years several hundred people have applied for an Investigator Licence.

Bailiffs are present during every Magistrates Court proceeding and assist in the orderly conduct of court sittings. During civil court sessions they announce the opening and closing of court, and announce the day's cases.


But That's Not All

Bailiffs perform other duties in addition to courtroom proceedings. These include:
- Serving writs and summonses. A summons is a formal demand for a civil debt or recovery, or a command to appear before a court.
- Executing a warrant of execution for the seizure of goods or land.
- Executing a warrant of possession. Generally used to recover land whereby an individual is evicted.

What Bailiffs Can and Can't Do

Bailiffs of the Court execute warrants of execution for goods or land valued up to $25,000. Once a court has issued a warrant of execution at the request of a creditor (the individual or business to whom a debt is owed), it is a bailiff's prerogative to call at a debtor's (the individual who owes a creditor money) residence at any reasonable hour. This is with the intention of gaining entry to the property to look for goods, which can be sold at public auction to repay creditors.

If a debt remains unpaid, bailiffs have the power to sell these goods under the warrant to satisfy the debt.

Bailiff of the Perth Magistrates Court, Ken Steer, says that if debtors dispose of any of the goods, this becomes a criminal offence. If there are no goods or land worth selling, the bailiff declares a Nulla Bona return. Creditors may issue a judgment summons where the debtor is examined by the court. Bailiffs attend judgment summons hearings where the debtor may be ordered to repay the creditor by instalments.

Ken, who has worked in law enforcement for the past 30 years, takes the following stance on his current job.

'I don't enjoy evicting people or taking their personal possessions. What I am interested in is seeing justice done.'


Do Bailiffs Just Execute Warrants & Serve Court Processes?

The answer to this is 'No'. Bailiffs also spend their day doing administrative tasks such as maintaining client records and carrying out ownership checks. An aptitude for clerical duties in a legal environment is a must in this job.

The Sheriff's Office appoints bailiffs for the District Court and sheriff's officers do this for the Supreme Court. The Sheriff says that all bailiffs share the same responsibilities, irrespective of the court in which they work. The courts, he says, rely heavily on a bailiff's expertise.

Bailiffs make contact with a range of people in varying circumstances so a high level of maturity and responsibility are essential to this job, as are excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

According to the Manager of Enforcement Services, in the metropolitan area, Albany, Bunbury, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie, the Magistrates Court bailiffs are private individuals. In the State's more remote country areas, these individuals are police officers appointed as bailiffs of the Magistrates Court. The Sheriff's Office has Sheriff's Officers. In the metropolitan area, they are public servants and in regional areas the Sheriff appoints Magistrates Court bailiffs to act on his behalf.

This is a small-sized occupation with a relatively low turnover, however, there are opportunities for people interested in working as bailiff assistants on a part-time or casual basis.

The starting salary for bailiff assistants is approximately $28,250 per year. Salaries may go as high as $40,000 for someone with several years'experience. Bailiff assistants are paid according to the Bailiff Award. Self-employed bailiffs, who work on a fee-for-service basis, have the potential to earn well in excess of $40,000. Their work environment operates much like a small business. Bailiff assistants may also be offered a vehicle allowance. For more up-to-date salaries you could check out the Australian Government Workplace Authority website below or contact the Magistrates Court (Registry) directly.

To become a police officer in Western Australia, you must be accepted into and successfully complete a 26-week training program through the WA Police Academy in Perth. Applicants for the program must be at least 19 years old, an Australian citizen or permanent resident and have successfully completed Year 10, or equivalent. For further information about the training program, please check out the WA Police Service (Recruitment Section) website below.

Edith Cowan University - Joondalup Campus offers a Bachelor of Criminology and Justice and an Associate Degree of Criminology and Justice (Policing). If you choose this route, you'll need to be accepted into the Police Academy before you can graduate.

Although there is no formal training required to be an investigator, it is recommended that applicants complete Year 10 or equivalent, and have excellent communication skills. If successful, applicants will receive on-the-job training, the length of which will be determined by the person's maturity and ability to grasp the job. Various courses are available from registered training organisations. For further information, see the NTIS website.

The Certificate IV in Business (Legal Studies) is offered through the Perth Campus of Central TAFE.

For further information, contact the campus direct or check out the TAFE site below.

You can also undertake a traineeship in Business (Legal Studies) through the Australian Apprenticeships scheme. For more information, contact the Australian Apprenticeships Hotline on 13 38 73 (local call cost).

	Other Training Providers
	National Training Information Service website.
	TAFE Colleges
	Homepage links and contact details for all TAFE Colleges in WA.
	TAFE Handbook
	An online guide to full time TAFE courses available throughout WA.
	Universities
	Homepage links and contact details for all Universities in WA.

Magistrates Court (Registry)
30 St George's Terrace Perth WA 6000 Ph: (08) 9425 2244 Fax: (08) 9421 1075 URL: http://www.magistratescourt.wa.gov.au/

GetAccess Links Disclaimer

All links to other sites from this service have been pre-screened and assessed for appropriate content. However, GetAccess cannot guarantee that quality content standards will be maintained at other sites. Please notify GetAccess immediately if any sites display inappropriate content.