Section 55: Powers to retain articles surrendered or seized
136.This section introduces another new statutory power for court security officers, namely to retain an article surrendered or seized until the person from whom it was taken is leaving the court building. However, where the officer reasonably believes that the article may be evidence of or in relation to an offence, he may retain it until the person from whom it was taken is leaving the court building, or, for a limited period of up to 24 hours from the time the article was surrendered or seized, to enable the officer to draw it to the attention of a police constable (subsection (2)(b)).