The sheriff is a civil servant with various responsibilities, existing in some countries historically associated with England, where the phenomenon arose. In Iceland, there is a similar independent service, which usually translates as “sheriff”.
Who is the sheriff
Historically, the sheriff was a legal officer responsible for the “shir” or county. Nowadays, the specific combination of legal, political and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country.
When answering the question of who the sheriff is, the specifics of each region must be taken into account.
In the United States, a sheriff is a law enforcement officer whose duties vary from state to county. As a rule, he is an elected district official, with duties that usually include the protection of residential areas, the maintenance of county prisons, the security of courts in the district, and the provision of warrants and court documents. In addition to this, the sheriff is often responsible for upholding civil law within the jurisdiction.
Below is a photograph of the relevant service with the sheriff's star in the background.
In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the sheriff is a ceremonial person or official representative of the city. In Scotland, sheriffs perform the work of judges.
In Canada, a sheriff’s position exists in most provinces. They usually manage and transport prisoners, serve judicial orders, and in some provinces ensure the security of the judiciary, protect civil servants, and support the investigation by local police services. In Alberta, they even control traffic.
Etymology
You can’t completely figure out who the sheriff is without having studied the origin of the word. The sheriff is an abbreviation of the term shire reeve. Comes from the Old English scirrerefa, the royal official responsible for maintaining peace (reeve) throughout the city or county on behalf of the king. The concept remained in England, despite the Norman conquest. From Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the word spread to several other regions, at an early stage to Scotland, most recently to Ireland and the United States.
The Arabic term sharif ("noble"), which is sometimes confused with the sheriff, has no historical or etymological connection.
Other countries
They also know about who the sheriff is in India. True, among its cities only Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai are familiar with such a service. First created in 1700 on the basis of the British High Sheriffs, they were the executive branch of the judiciary, responsible for the collection of jurors, bringing people to trial, overseeing the imprisonment and arrest and sale of property. After the mid-1800s, the duties and powers of this role were reduced, and the position became ceremonial. Sheriffs in the cities of Mumbai and Calcutta still exist, although the post in Chennai was canceled in 1998.
In South Africa, sheriffs are court officials and act as executive bodies. They are responsible for serving litigation, such as appeals and subpoenas. They play an important role in the execution of court orders, for example, the selection of real estate and movable property, evictions, demolition, etc. The 1986 Sheriffs Act governs the profession. The sheriff is appointed by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development in accordance with section 2 of the law.