Prosecuting a Bailiff or High Court Enforcement Agent.


You can report offences online through your local police force website.

Before making your report, gather the evidence supporting the bailiff has committed the offence.

Make a Statement of Truth and give exhibits which the police can use as a starting point to making an investigation.

Your complaint should include relevant criminal law the bailiff or enforcement agent breached.

Your complaint must comply with the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines.[1]

If the police say bailiff crime is a civil matter, then you can bring a private prosecution by making a complaint before a justice of the peace that the bailiff has, or is suspected of having, committed an offence, the justice may issue a summons or an arrest warrant.[2]

Bailiff crime includes any of the following:

Damage to property or vehicles.[3]

Appropriating money property or vehicle.[4]

Violence.[5]

Dishonest representation to convert goods or money.[6]

Charging money for work not done.[7][8]

Falsely alleging the debtor assaulted the bailiff.[example below]

Doctoring bodyworn camera footage.[example below]


If the offence takes place in the presence of police, or police detain you to assist a bailiff to commit an offence, the police officer may be guilty of an offence.[9]

When information is laid before a justice of the peace that a person is suspected of having committed an offence, they may issue a summons to appear before a magistrates' court to answer the information, or a warrant to arrest that person and bring him to court.[10][11]



Charges against a corrupt enforcement agent



[1] See CPS Guidelines
[2] Section 43 of the Courts Act 2003
[3] Section 1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971
[4] Section 3 of the Theft Act 1968
[5] Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988
[6] Section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006
[7] Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006
[8] Parliament: Baroness Scotland in the House of Lords, 21 April 2006
[9] Section 26 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015
[10] Section 1 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980
[11] Part 7 Criminal Procedure Rules