A MAGISTRATES' courts committee has taken over the responsibility from police for executing warrants against fine defaulters and people who breach community sentences in County Durham.

The Durham Magistrates' Courts Committee said that the move will allow the courts to give a higher priority to the enforcement of the penalties they impose, while allowing Durham Constabulary to concentrate its resources on fighting crime.

The new measures, under the 1999 Access to Justice Act, came into force earlier in the year.

They give civilian enforcement officers and private enforcement agencies, employed by the courts, powers to execute warrants anywhere in England and Wales.

Brinley Jones, head of court administration for North Durham, said police have been working closely with the courts in the run-up to the transfer.

He said the police will still be involved in executing warrants if there is a perceived risk of violence or disorder.

In addition, magistrates' courts have been provided with a new weapon which should make it more difficult for defaulters to avoid justice.

Under an agreement with the Department of Social Security, the courts will now be able to check whether there is a more up-to-date address for a "missing" defaulter.