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Describe the Role and Power of Magistrates There are some 30,374 lay magistrates in England and Wales, 15,858 men and 14,516 women, appointed by the Lord Chancellor or the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the name of the Crown. Magistrates are ordinary members of the community who sit in the Magistrates' Courts and who dispense justice the lowest level of the English court system. They are unpaid for what they do and therefore are not servants …

…reliable. The facts are obtained form the complaint which consists of sworn statements of a citizen or a law enforcement officer relating the commission of an alleged offense. These statements are made under oath before a magistrate, and the magistrate may require the sworn statements to be reduced to writing and signed. If the magistrate decides that probable cause exists, an arrest warrant will be issued so that the accused may be brought to trial.