Commentary on Sections: Part 4 Section 53: Powers to exclude, remove or restrain persons
133.This section gives court security officers powers to restrain persons or exclude, or remove them from a court building. Officers may exclude or remove where a person has refused to submit to a search, or has refused the officer’s request for surrender of an article where the officer reasonably believes that the article ought to be surrendered on the grounds that it may jeopardise the maintenance of order in the court building, may risk the safety of a person in that building, or because the article may be evidence of or in relation to an offence. They also have the power to restrain, exclude or remove a person if it is reasonably necessary to do so to maintain order, secure the safety of people in the court building and to enable court business to be conducted without disruption. Subsection (4) provides that a court security officer may also remove any person from a courtroom at the request of a judge or a justice of the peace.
134.Subsection (5) provides that the powers to exclude, remove and restrain persons include the power to use reasonable force.