Supporting growth, funding public services and underpinning the rule of law
Alan J. Smith, Chair of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) says that professionalism in the enforcement world is more important today than it has ever been as the sector seeks to ensure it is delivering a fair and effective service to businesses and individuals across England and Wales.
“The enforcement sector therefore plays an important role in supporting economic growth, funding public services and underpinning the rule of law.”
Those were the words spoken by Alex Davies-Jones MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice in a Westminster Hall debate around ‘bailiff regulation’ this week.
It is refreshing to hear a Government Minister recognising the value that enforcement brings to society in this way. Whilst it is our CIVEA colleagues who play a valuable role in funding public services in the way the Minister describes, here in the High Court enforcement world we also absolutely recognise the three pillars she is raising, and the other two are central to our work.
Our members work on behalf of individuals and private sector firms to support them in a wide range of ways and supporting growth and underpinning the rule of law are at the heart of what they, and the enforcement agents working with them, do on a daily basis.
In the context of a challenging economic environment, and expectations of high service standards right across the economy, adopting a professional approach to enforcement has never been more important.
High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) and the firms they are working with are delivering on that on all fronts.
Investment and innovation make the case for professionalism
We’re investing in training and CPD for teams working right across the enforcement business, whether that’s enforcement agents working in the field or contact centre teams engaging with debtors remotely.
Businesses have invested heavily in Body Worn Video cameras and supporting software to ensure that agents’ actions in communities around the country are captured and recorded. This provides undeniable evidence of how agents, debtors and third parties have interacted together as enforcement visits occur.
The recent independent research work undertaken by the Enforcement Conduct Board showed that 94% of all visits by accredited businesses were undertaken in accordance with the current National Standards. That’s a great – and independently verified – starting point and we’re working hard to learn how we can minimise the 6% so that we get an even higher compliance figure in the future.
As an Association we’ve developed a professional and independently assessed education pathway for people to become fully qualified HCEOs by partnering with the Chartered Institute of Credit Management.
The British public supports fair and effective enforcement
Last year the HCEOA commissioned an independent survey of 2,000 members of the general public. We wanted to better understand the public perception of enforcement and enforcement agents from people from across England and Wales.
Overall, the data and the feedback from the respondents showed strong support for fair and effective enforcement:
- 83% agreed or strongly agreed that fair and effective enforcement is a necessary part of the justice system.
- 72% thought unpaid debt would increase without fair and effective enforcement.
- There is strong public support for body worn video cameras – 88% thought it’s important that all enforcement agents wear them.
- Fairness to all involved – debtors and creditors – is a really important principle that is clear throughout the results and data.
- A majority of people said they trust ‘the judicial system’ to set and enforcement agents to follow the appropriate rules – but there was a minority who don’t.
At the same time, we know there are improvements that can be made in the infrastructure that supports enforcement. Proper digitisation of Government systems and greater freedom of choice for court users will benefit the British public, take the pressure off the county court system and generate additional income for both UK plc and the Treasury.
For all of today’s technological advance however, the reality remains that for many people in debt, a visit from an enforcement agent is the first time that they’ve actually received human contact about the issue. It’s an emotive and sensitive topic and we rightly operate in a highly regulated environment.
At the time of writing, enforcement fees haven’t changed for 11 years, but we’re hopeful that Government understanding the value of enforcement translates into a government that realises it needs to be properly funded in order to deliver the professional, fair and effective system the country needs.
Our members have demonstrated they are ready to deliver. Now it’s over to Ministers to play their part.
