{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-55",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003/section-55.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/39",
  "legislation_title": "Courts Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/courts-act-2003",
  "path": "section/55",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "55",
  "heading": "Powers to retain articles surrendered or seized",
  "text": "(1) Subject to subsection (2), a court security officer may retain an article which was—\n(a) surrendered in response to a request under section 54(1), or\n(b) seized under section 54(2),\nuntil the time when the person who surrendered it, or from whom it was seized, is leaving the court building.\n(1A) Subject to subsection (2), a court security officer may retain an article which was—\n(a) surrendered in response to a request under section 54A(4)(a), or\n(b) seized under section 54A(4)(b),\nuntil the end of the period specified in the relevant order under section 15A of the Juries Act 1974.\n(2) If a court security officer reasonably believes that the article may be evidence of, or in relation to, an offence, he may retain it until—\n(a) the time specified in subsection (1) or (1A) (as appropriate), or\n(b) the end of the permitted period,\nwhichever is later.\n(3) “The permitted period” means such period, not exceeding 24 hours from the time the article was surrendered or seized, as will enable the court security officer to draw the article to the attention of a constable.\n(4) This section is subject to section 55A.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 55(1A) inserted (13.4.2015) by Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (c. 2), ss. 70(3)(a), 95(1); S.I. 2015/778, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 55"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 55(2)(a) substituted (13.4.2015) by Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (c. 2), ss. 70(3)(b), 95(1); S.I. 2015/778, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 55"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 55(4) added (6.4.2010) by Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (c. 25), ss. 146(2), 182(4)(c) (with s. 180, Sch. 22 para. 44); S.I. 2010/816, art. 2, Sch. para. 9"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/55",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:17:53.122162+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}