Powers
The powers to swear in constables come from the Epping Forest Act 1878. This gives 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 all the powers to enforce by-laws and provisions of the Epping Forest Act. They are sworn in before a Justice of the Peace for Essex. Assaulting or resisting a constable is an offence. The Act states that will be constables for the county of Essex. However, many changes to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District means that only part of Epping Fores is within the county of Essex. Therefore, it is not believed that they have powers in the parts of the Forest that are in the Metropolitan Police District.
If a constable sees or finds a person committing an offence against the bylaws, 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.
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.
Read more about this topic: Epping Forest Keepers
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