Can the police get involved with bailiffs?
The police can only help a bailiff do their job in very limited circumstances.
This is allowed if:
- The bailiff is enforcing a High Court writ of control
- The bailiff has applied to the court for a warrant to force entry and the court has agreed that the police can help with this
The police can’t help the bailiff in any other circumstances.
The police may attend with a bailiff to make sure there’s no disturbance. They have to remain impartial and they can’t help the bailiff.
Once a bailiff has made a list of your goods and taken them into control you can also be arrested if you hide, remove or deliberately damage any of these goods.
If you act in a threatening or aggressive manner you could be arrested. The bailiff could also be arrested if they act like this. You can also be arrested if you ‘obstruct’ a bailiff, for example by physically stopping them from removing goods.
You can’t be arrested for refusing entry to a bailiff if they’ve not already been in and made a list of goods.