1st Class Bailiffs Articles

Andy Coates, who is National Enforcement Services’ Chief Executive Officer, has received the Frank Martin Award from the Association of British Investigators (ABI) in recognition for his work as one of the top private investigators in the country.

Mr Coates was given the ABI award as praise for his service and dedication to the sector where he has worked for over twenty years. He has progressed from being head of the northern branch to being a member of the governing council. That is not all; his off-duty time also includes being a volunteer for the ABI, helping to boost the image of the organisation by directing and planning its marketing strategy.

Andy later commented on receiving the award:

“The ABI is crucial to the success of the private investigation sector… This award goes a long way to recognise the efforts so many private investigators put into their work and is a marvellous accolade for National Enforcement Services and the work we do.”

Tony Imossi, president of the ABI said:

“The Frank Martin award recognises those who have continued to show outstanding commitment to not only our organisation and its members but to the sector as a whole.

“With his team of bailiffs and administrators, Andy works to reclaim finances and properties for private companies, solicitors and even individuals. As well as a being a member of several private investigation organisations Andy heads up National Enforcement Services which deal in surveillance, debt collection and training, with services ranging from arrest warrants to forfeitures of lease and trespasser evictions.”

Andy has been involved with National Enforcement Services since he founded it in 1979 and has continued to increase the range of products and services the firm offers whilst providing staff with the latest technologies in their pursuits to reclaim debt.

The company’s head office is based in Darlington, County Durham and they offer services on a ‘no recovery no fee’ basis as well as providing training courses for bailiffs and civil enforcement agents.

Police have been told not to evict illegal gypsy and traveller camps from private land unless they are causing additional problems such as crime.

New guidelines have been offered to police forces from chief officers saying that the “mere presence” of an unauthorised camp should not normally result in their eviction, even though they are actually breaking the law through their trespassing.

Illegal sites are to only be cleared if the travellers are also guilty of “aggravating factors” such as crime, anti-social behaviour or damage to the environment.

The guidance says that the measures will help to balance the gypsies’ human rights, placing these alongside those of landowners and the general public.

Police have now admitted that illegal camps will still remain “a feature of life in this country” and it is “almost impossible” for gypsies to avoid camping illegally because of a lack of lawful sites around the country.

The Association of Chief Police Officers have come under fire, but have responded by saying that its guidance is necessary because these unauthorised encampments are “one of the issues” that stand in the way of community relations between the gypsies and travellers and settled communities.

The guidelines state that the final decision to use police powers is still at the discretion of the senior officer present.

This comes only three months after the Daily Telegraph newspaper had warned that the number of gypsy and traveller sites being forced on councils has more than doubled in two years.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“It is shocking that the police are abandoning their commitment to defending private property.

“People pay their taxes for the police to defend our families and our property and the authorities must not abdicate that responsibility.

“A police force that turns a blind eye to trespassing is no police force at all.”

The most recent figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government showed there were 1,750 gypsy caravans on unauthorised sites in England with 2,240 on land owned by travellers, but without planning permission. The figures also show that even where councils turn down some applications for sites, inspectors are increasingly overturning those decisions.

Most people have certain preconceptions about the role of the bailiff, but in reality there are a number of different services offered.

One task frequently carried out by bailiffs is the tracking down of individuals. Most commonly this involves the tracing of debtors, but these skills can also be put to good use in searching for other people as well.

If you have missing family or friends, experienced bailiffs can help track them down. Experienced bailiffs know how to set about the task of tracing someone. They know what databases to check and they are all professionally trained investigators who will know the right questions to ask of the right people to help locate your loved ones.

With a staggering success rate of around 75%, this is the best way of tracking people down and urgent requests can be started within just a couple of days.

If you need to trace a family member and don’t know where to turn, it’s definitely worth considering making use of bailiffs. With access to the right databases and years of experience, they should be able to get an address for you and all this is done with due consideration to the Data Protection Act.

Travellers have set up camp in the vacant MFI car park in Drake Street, Rochdale according to the Rochdale Observer.

There were also reports of travellers using the Kwik Save site at Well i’th’ Lane, although this group of travellers had already moved on when the Rochdale Observer checked on Monday 13th April.

This comes three months after the Daily Telegraph had warned in an article that the number of traveller sites being forced on councils has more than doubled in two years.
Last year Rochdale Borough Council spent more than £23,000 cleaning up after travellers had used eight sites around Rochdale within just three months. Money was spent on employing bailiffs to move the travellers and clean up the waste left behind costing around £3,000 per site.

A council spokesman told the Observer they were aware of the current situation but were investigating what could be done about it.

Rochdale Councillor Mohammed Sharif, representing the Milkstone and Deeplish ward said:

“I reported the problem on Friday night. It’s private land so I don’t think the council can do much – they will have to get in touch with the land owners and work together.”