FOI release

Request to the SIA for information about debt collection

Published 3 May 2024

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Request

In respect of SIA licence holders:

  1. Are personnel required to undertake oaths or affirmations for legal service? If so, cite relevant UK legislation.
  2. Detail policies or legal statutes governing personnel conduct regarding aiding or abetting crimes, with references to UK legislation.
  3. Are personnel authorised to assist bailiffs or engage in enforcement actions? Outline legal and policy frameworks with references to UK laws or internal guidelines.
  4. Provide conditions under which personnel are permitted to assist debt collectors, referencing relevant UK legislation.
  5. Describe personnel training on legal obligations and limitations regarding bailiffs, debt collectors, and investigations, citing legislation or internal guidelines.
  6. Explain organisational accountability and oversight for allegations of personnel complicity in criminal activities, including investigation procedures.
  7. Detail legal basis and policies governing personnel use of force in civil matters, such as assisting bailiffs or debt collectors.
  8. Provide policies on sharing personal data with external entities and compliance measures with the Data Protection Act and the GDPR.
  9. Describe the process for the public to file complaints against alleged misconduct related to this request.
  10. Provide statistical information on instances of personnel assisting bailiffs or debt collectors in the past three years, including outcomes.
  11. Define enforceable warrants within your organisation’s jurisdiction.
  12. Outline specific criteria for warrants to be legally enforceable by local law enforcement agencies.
  13. Describe different types of warrants and whether they are enforceable under local laws.
  14. List required legal documentation or evidence for warrant issuance and enforcement.
  15. Explain differences in enforcing warrants between civil and criminal cases within jurisdiction.
  16. Highlight recent changes or updates to legal standards or procedures related to warrant issuance and enforcement.
  17. Explain circumstances where warrants can be challenged or deemed unenforceable by the subject or their legal representation.
  18. Detail measures to ensure protection of individuals’ rights during warrant execution.

Response

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information. For further information on bailiffs, you may find this page useful: Bailiff powers when they visit your home: What you can do when a bailiff visits - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question 4: Provide conditions under which personnel are permitted to assist debt collectors, referencing relevant UK legislation.

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 6: Explain organizational accountability and oversight for allegations of personnel complicity in criminal activities, including investigation procedures.

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information. You may find this Government page on Bailiffs useful: Bailiffs (parliament.uk)

Question 8: Provide policies on sharing personal data with external entities and compliance measures with Data Protection Act and GDPR.

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not run a complaints service for complaints about security operatives or companies. Instead, we treat such information as intelligence. We evaluate all intelligence that we receive to assess whether there is any intervention within our powers that we should take. We do not contact people who provide intelligence to tell them how we used the information they gave us. This is for data protection reasons and because telling people how we use information could affect our ability to take effective action in future.

Question 10: Provide statistical information on instances of personnel assisting bailiffs or debt collectors in the past three years, including outcomes.

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 11: Define enforceable warrants within your organisation’s jurisdiction.

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 12: Outline specific criteria for warrants to be legally enforceable by local law enforcement agencies

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 13: Describe different types of warrants and their enforceability under local laws.

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 15: Explain differences in enforcing warrants between civil and criminal cases within jurisdiction.

The SIA does not hold this information. For information on Warrants you may find these pages useful: Search warrants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Search warrants reform to help law enforcement investigate crime - Law Commission

The SIA does not hold this information.

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 18: Detail measures to ensure protection of individuals’ rights during warrant execution.

The SIA does not hold this information.

[Reference: FOI 0499]

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