1st Class Bailiffs Articles

When it comes to surveillance, the term can sometimes make people think of large white vans with a satellite dish on top with investigators monitoring phone calls inside a nearby building like we see on TV.

In real life, the art of surveillance is all about the attention to detail of a particular case and there is more to it than just using a camera or video camera to record a person’s interactions or movements. There is a lot of planning involved and pre-observation research that first needs to be undertaken by those involved in surveillance services. These services are usually offered by professional private investigators or bailiff services with the expertise and experience required to successfully handle a range of cases.

A surveillance team will need the experience of knowing how to operate and carry out the surveillance operation, which may require both males and females from an ex-police or ex-forces background.

The video, photographic and communications equipment used also needs to be modern and state-of-the-art in order to provide a professional service to customers. The surveillance vehicles also need to be adapted in order to be kitted out with all the latest communications equipment available.

The cases taken on by companies offering surveillance services include covert investigations into corporate or insurance fraud, personal injury enquiries, employee absenteeism, theft and industrial espionage.

In this country, the scarcity of land is fast becoming a large problem for people. Many years ago, before the land was so densely populated, it was easier for travellers to pitch their camps wherever they so wished. And people travelling to summer festivals sometimes think they can camp anywhere they please. For local landowners who own stretches of open land, the problem of trespassers is becoming more and more serious, especially when trespassers move onto their land and refuse to leave.

But this problem does not just affect those who own agricultural and open land, but also includes those who own and operate on commercial land such as businesses on trading estates. In such cases, this can have a detrimental effect on the business as incidents of crime, disorder and vandalism are often commonplace once encampments occur.

So, the question arises, what can be done in such situations to remove these trespassers from your land?

Well, there may be a risk to personal safety when attempting to remove the trespassers yourself. Also, this can count against the landowner and their legal standing in such situations.

It is actually more effective to enlist the help of bailiff services who can take action on the landowner’s behalf and obtain an order for possession of the land. The process can be quickly implemented by the professionals and proceedings can be issued quickly. The bailiff services can also gather information and do research on the landowner’s behalf to help strengthen the case against the trespasser(s).

The image that can spring to mind when one thinks of a private investigator is the type of private eye or snoop that was romanticised in cinema - like Jack Nicholson’s character in Chinatown, the British Sherlock Homes or even Hercule Poirot as made famous by Agatha Christie. However, professional investigator services are in demand in Britain today. But what services do they provide?

Well, some of the main services that professional investigators provide include process serving, status reports, tracing and surveillance. The services can be varied and wide ranging and can be offered as an addition to bailiff services.

Professional investigators can act as process servers for clients and the services they offer can get fast and effective results. This can be for any legal document such as a court order or statutory demand.

Investigators can be involved with tracing and tracking down anyone, from missing debtors to missing family members. Investigators can provide surveillance on employees, those suspected of fraudulent activities or people claiming benefits which they are not entitled to: the list is endless.

These services can also offer status reports for once the target has been located, including a pre-litigation report on a debtor.

Investigator services usually have specialised teams which work on specific cases for clients in the UK and some companies can even provide an international service anywhere in the world.

The many reports of illegal traveller sites springing up all over the place during the bank holiday weekend has finally led to one council taking action. The daily and weekend newspapers have been rife with stories of traveller camps settling on land in local communities over the past few weeks.

In around a week’s time, Basildon Council will be publically advertising for bailiffs to win the lucrative £2million contract to clear 86 families from sites in the area. The sites are located at Crays Hill and Hovefields in Wickford.

The contract will be open to all bailiff companies across the continent and it will be advertised in the official journal of the European Union. The travellers have been attempting to stall the process by appealing against any eviction and private talks with the council are still ongoing.

Council leader, Tony Ball said:

“The advert will be published next week. We are then looking at about two months to award the contract, before any families still at the site are served 28-day notices of eviction. We hope in the meantime they will move off peacefully.”

This move by a local council closely follows government plans to utilise professional bailiffs’ services of debt collection.

At the recent Managing Consumer Debt conference, an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) representative, David Philpott, announced that the debt collection guidelines are to be revised later on this year. This news comes in addition to the UK government’s customs and tax department, the HM Revenue and Customs, declaring that it will utilise the services of private bailiffs and debt collection agencies in order to improve rates of collecting any unpaid tax which is still outstanding.

The updated OFT documentation will take into account debt purchase guidelines, plus debt collection and pre-delinquency management best practice.

Mr Philpott stressed that this guidance will not create any unnecessary burdens on the debt collection sector when he explained:

“We will take effective action against businesses that harm or may harm consumers but we also want to establish close links with businesses and consumer representatives to ensure constructive dialogue.”

The outsourcing of the tax collection is initially on a six month trial with letters being sent out to individuals and businesses who are overdue on their tax warning them that they will be referred to a debt collection agency unless they get in contact with the HMRC immediately.

A spokesperson for the HMRC has confirmed:

“We retain a flexible approach to ensure we get the best result for the taxpayer. Using private sector capacity has the potential to complement this approach and that is what we are now exploring.”

An attractive and peaceful small town in Gloucestershire was given a shock during the bank holiday weekend when an illegal travelling encampment was set up in a beautiful meadow.

This invasion occurred in Newent, the smallest of the four towns in the Forest of Dean District and which has been known for many years as the capital of the Ryelands.
The travellers arrived late on Friday, once the local council offices had shut for the weekend. Within no time, the camp was set up, complete with sewerage, toilet facilities and electricity.

Once the land was occupied, it was soon built upon and with it being the bank holiday, this made it extremely difficult for locals to make any objections to this invasion and contact any enforcement agencies dealing with traveller evictions.

The local townspeople were helpless to do anything as the hired lorries moved in and digging equipment was used to help construct the more-permanent encampment. The land was fenced off and 12 caravans were pitched in farmland just outside the town. The travellers moved onto the land they do not have planning permission for, just opposite three large houses.

Local councillor Len Lawton commented on the situation:

“Villagers were told the field’s owners only wanted to build temporary accommodation for horses. When the owners started making small engineering changes earlier this year, such as laying pipes, the council reminded them that major building work required planning permission.

“The owners were asked to respond but never did. I have nothing against the travellers’ lifestyle. My concern is that the legal system seems unfairly weighted against local people.”