{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-fire-reform-scotland-act-2012/section-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-fire-reform-scotland-act-2012/section-20.json",
  "legislation": "asp/2012/8",
  "legislation_title": "Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-and-fire-reform-scotland-act-2012",
  "path": "section/20",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Constables: general duties",
  "text": "(1) It is the duty of a constable—\n(a) to prevent and detect crime,\n(b) to maintain order,\n(c) to protect life and property,\n(d) to take such lawful measures, and make such reports to the appropriate prosecutor, as may be needed to bring offenders with all due speed to justice,\n(e) where required, to serve and execute a warrant, citation or deliverance issued, or process duly endorsed, by a Lord Commissioner of Justiciary, sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace in relation to criminal proceedings, and\n(f) to attend court to give evidence.\n(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 20(1)(e) substituted (28.11.2016) by The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (Relevant Officer and Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.S.I. 2016/387), art. 1, sch. 4 para. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 20(2)(3) repealed (25.1.2018) by Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (asp 1), s. 117(2), sch. 2 para. 41; S.S.I. 2017/345, art. 3, sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 20 in force at 1.4.2013 by S.S.I. 2013/51, art. 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2012/8/section/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:14:45.019055+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "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."
}