County Court bailiff
County Court bailiffs are employees of His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and are responsible for enforcing orders of the County Court by recovering money owed under County Court judgments. Bailiffs can seize and sell goods to recover the amount of the debt. They can also serve court documents and effect and supervise the possession of property and the return of goods under hire purchase agreements.
Entry
A County Court bailiff can enter a premises to seize goods and sell these at public auction, they can enter a property through an unlocked door. If the bailiff has attempted entry previously or has been forcefully removed they can then use reasonable force to gain re-entry to inspect the goods or remove them.When determining the value of goods to be seized, it is the likely price that the goods will reach at auction that is pertinent, not what was paid for them.
Police assistance
Section 85 of the County Courts Act 1984 states: It shall be the duty of every constable within his jurisdiction to assist in the execution of every such warrant. This is rarely used and if the police are called they will generally be there to prevent a breach of the peace.There has been debate about the lack of training that police are given with respect to the powers of bailiffs whilst executing a warrant.
Penalty for assaulting County Court bailiffs
Section 14 of the County Court Act 1984 gives the following penalty:''If any person assaults an officer of a court while in the execution of his duty, he shall be liable—''