Welcome to the Office of the Sheriff of New South Wales
 The Office of Sheriff of New South Wales was established under the Charter of Justice in 1824.
The Office of the Sheriff conducts certain law enforcement functions, judicial officer & court security operations, administration of the NSW jury system and other court related support to ensure the safe and successful operation of NSW courts.
It is a division of Courts & Tribunal Services of the Department of Justice & Attorney General.
There are 428 uniformed Sheriff’s Officers, Court Officers and Clerical Officers, located within 58 centres at 57 courts across NSW.
The Sheriff’s law enforcement responsibilities include serving summonses, enforcing writs, warrants, and orders issued by the courts. Court security responsibilities involve maintaining the security of court complexes and the safety of people attending those complexes. (ref Court Security Act 2005 No 1)
The Office of the Sheriff of NSW is more commonly referred to simply as the ‘Sheriff's Office’.
Message from the Sheriff of New South Wales
Since my appointment as Sheriff of NSW in March 2008, I have set an agenda for the Office of the Sheriff to evolve in response to our current and emerging obligations to the people of New South Wales.
With much of the preparatory work now done, 2010 will herald the beginning of a new era in the history of the Office.
A detailed and ongoing review process has included the full range of our responsibilities and legislation, our structure and management processes, the operational needs of our officers and, importantly, how we are presented within the community.
Importantly, the first step in that evolutionary process is to ensure that we represent ourselves in a way that reflects the modern role of the Sheriff in NSW.
 To that end, please note that from Monday the 7th of December 2009, the official insignia of the Office of the Sheriff will change. New insignia (left) has been designed to be readily identifiable within the community as consistent with other NSW uniformed services, reflecting the important role performed by Sheriff’s Officers as officers of Government employed in the service of our justice system.
As such, Sheriff’s Officers are required to take an oath or affirmation of office in accordance with the Sheriff Act 2005 No 6 and derive their powers from that Act. (ref Sheriff Act 2005 No 6 Part 2).
Whilst Sheriff’s Officers are not Police Officers, they are in fact Law Enforcement Officers as defined by the Crimes Act 1900 No 40 and enjoy certain provisions and protections prescribed by that Act. (ref Crimes Act 1900 No 40 Part 3 Division 8A 60AA).
Chris Allen
Sheriff of NSW
About the Office of the Sheriff of NSW
The History of Office of the Sheriff of NSW
New Publications
The Mortage Stress Handbook is "A practical guide for people having problems with their mortgage" published by Legal Aid NSW. The handbook is a PDF document (2.49MB) and may be viewed with Adobe Reader. Download the reader from Adobe.
The Sheriff's Office is commited to providing useful resources to people in the community who are facing financial challenges. If you are experiencing financial difficulties or think that you may encounter financial difficulties in the near future please seek assistance before your situation becomes unmanageable.
The Consumer Credit Legal Centre (NSW) Inc is a community centre specialising in financial services. It is particularly focused on providing assistance to low income and disadvantaged consumers.The centre specialises in financial matters and policy concerning consumer credit, banking and debt recovery.
Free financial counselling is available through the Financial Counsellors' Association of NSW. They provide free and confidential financial counselling services to people in the community who are experiencing financial hardship.
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