The High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) has welcomed today’s Government announcement about plans for increased independent oversight across the enforcement sector.
Today’s Government announcement states that “Independent oversight will be made mandatory for private bailiffs in England and Wales, requiring them to be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board themselves, or to work for an enforcement firm that is, in order to obtain or renew the certificate they need to work”.
Michael Jackson, Chair of the HCEOA, said: “This is good news all round and is strongly supported by the enforcement profession. This is in effect the Government’s endorsement of our joint recommendation for changes to secondary legislation that would require all EAs to be accredited or to only work with accredited firms, which we put forward, along with our partners at CIVEA, earlier this summer.
“The HCEOA supports high standards and regulation across the sector and over 95% of our members work for or run firms that are already accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board. We will now continue to work closely with the Government and the ECB to help ensure that the detailed proposals are deliverable for our members and achieve the outcomes the Government is looking for in terms of public protection.”
He added: “At the same time we will continue to campaign for other important issues like improvements in the safety and protection of enforcement agents whilst at work. Minister Sarah Sackman is quite right to say in this announcement that ‘bailiffs’ have an important job to do, and that with that responsibility comes high standards. Alongside this we firmly believe that enforcement agents have a right to go about their job without suffering abuse, threat or violence and that all stakeholders across the sector can play a part in reinforcing this important issue.
The High Court Enforcement Officers Association represents members across England and Wales who collect outstanding judgment debt on behalf of businesses and individuals. See more at www.hceoa.org.uk.
