Bounty hunters

Bounty Hunters are individuals sanctioned by the Myrkentown Constabulary to pursue and apprehend known criminals for whom a reward (or Wanted Order) has been posted. The exciting, dangerous and potentially lucrative nature of such work makes it particularly appealling to wandering adventurers, knights-errant and other would-be heroes - especially considering that registered bounty hunters receive an extra payment in addition of the advertised reward for any criminal apprehended.

Purpose

The practise of issuing licenses to bounty hunters within Myrken Wood serves two main uses: firstly (and most obviously) it brings a wider range of talents and abilities to bear upon the outlaws of Myrken than might be available to the Constabulary alone - many of those who apply for a license are experienced adventurers, mercenaries, woodsmen or others with practical skills well-suited to pursuing and apprehending fugitives from the law - and allows the authorities to keep track of such individuals, in case their talents might be needed for other, more specific work. Secondly, it ensures that Myrken's bounty hunters are held to certain standards of behaviour and accountability, with sanctions applied to those who prove particularly reckless or who endanger the lives of bystanders in the course of their work.

License

For ten shillings an individual without a criminal record of his own may purchase from the Constabulary a Bounty Hunter's License, an official document granting the bearer a number of legal powers relating to the apprehension of fugitive criminals and other outlaws. This license is valid for one year from date of application, and bounty hunters are expected to renew their license if they intent to continue working as such.

A bounty hunter's license may be revoked or refused ar any time should the licensee engage in activity which abuses or overreaches their authority, or which breaks the laws of Myrken Wood.

Powers

A licensed bounty hunter is granted certain allowances above and beyond those they enjoy as a private citizen, but less extensive than those granted to oathsworn members of the Constabulary. These powers include the authority to enter the fugitive's private property in order to make a capture; limited powers of arrest, restricted only to those for whom wanted orders have been issued; and permission to employ reasonable force to subdue a fugitive for arrest.

Limitations

To avoid encouraging reckless or dangerous behaviour, licensed bounty hunters are granted no legal protection or indemnity should they cause damage to private property or injury to bystanders while pursuing a fugitive. The Reasonable Force clause in their license also restricts them from inflicting excessive harm upon a fugitive beyond that which is absolutely necessary to subdue and capture. In certain rare cases and for particularly dangerous fugitives this clause is waived, the authorities viewing it as being more important that the criminal is prevented from posing a danger to the public than that the criminal's life be preserved. This is known informally as a Headhunt Order, and is enacted only for criminals who are believed to be an immediate danger to the citizenry in general.