What is a High Sheriff?
The High Sheriff is His Majesty The King’s appointee for the maintenance of Justice and preservation of Peace in the County.
High Sheriffs are volunteers who are giving freely of their expertise and time to help their communities. There are 55 High Sheriffs in England & Wales – one for each County and Metropolitan area.
Justice
A Role in Upholding Fairness
High Sheriffs uphold Justice and Law & Order. They support the Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Courts, Judges, Probation, Prisons and Resettlement Services. They also support all those building a fairer, more just society from youth groups to charities and from religious organisations to foodbanks. They are completely independent, unpaid and apolitical, answering to the Crown. They are unique in being able to encourage individuals and organisations to work together for the common good.
Championing Justice
The King’s Appointee
High Sheriffs are the King’s personal appointee to the role and are responsible to him for the peace and security of his bailiwick – the shrieval term used to describe a traditional county or metropolitan area. The names of High Sheriffs and those in nomination are announced each year in the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey. High Sheriffs attend on any Royal visits and are there to uphold the King’s peace.
What Makes A High Sheriff
High Sheriffs are shortlisted by a County Nomination Panel and then selected personally by the current High Sheriff. They have to sign a personal commitment that they are law-abiding citizens and will commit themselves to undertake the role conscientiously. They then have up to four years to prepare themselves before their year in office. High Sheriffs are expected to be enthusiastic, inquisitive, compassionate, knowledgeable and good with people. They are women and men from all religions and from different social backgrounds. As they are unpaid volunteers they must therefore have both the funds and, more especially, the time to commit to help others in need.
News & Impact
Stay current with developments across the High Sheriff community
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National Crimebeat’s Annual Awards 2026
National Crimebeat’s Annual Awards took place at The Royal National Hotel in London on Tuesday 17th March 2026, where over 135 VIP guests plus our finalists celebrated the amazing achievements of the 7 young teams from across England – sadly no finalists from Wales this year. First prize this year was awarded to the impressive
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‘Getting Court’
Getting Court is a preventative and educational social initiative. Set up in Oxfordshire in 2015 it offers pupils an informal insight into the workings of the criminal justice system through accompanied visits to Crown Courts and prisons. The students come from the mainstream system, Pupil Referral Units (PRU), Adult Training units, social services, local councils
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Young ‘High Sheriff’
Ashlawn School in Rugby is taking part in this year’s Young High Sheriff programme