By LadyFahrenheit - 10/07/2013 00:14 - United Kingdom - Hull
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LadyFahrenheit tells us more.
I just want to give more of an insight of the events surrounding the bailiff intrusion. A couple of weeks prior to finding them in my kitchen, I received a letter from an electricity company, which was intended for another customer. I contacted the electricity company to inform them I had received a letter for someone else, and they assured me that they would rectify their mistake. Fast forward a fortnight - I found bailiffs in my kitchen. They had picked the lock to gain entry, and had a search warrant, which they claimed gave them the right to enter my home. However, once I told showed them my I.D. and informed them their search warrant was invalid since I wasn't who they were looking for, they soon left. It baffles me how they could say it was so easy to open my front door, when they'd opened it with locksmith tools. I'm definitely going to have to improve my home security to avoid another incident like this.
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avapaige1234
19
Those aren't bailiffs, OP. Those are thieves disguising as bailiffs just in case they get caught. My friend had a similar experience, but the burglars pretended to be census people.
I just want to give more of an insight of the events surrounding the bailiff intrusion. A couple of weeks prior to finding them in my kitchen, I received a letter from an electricity company, which was intended for another customer. I contacted the electricity company to inform them I had received a letter for someone else, and they assured me that they would rectify their mistake. Fast forward a fortnight - I found bailiffs in my kitchen. They had picked the lock to gain entry, and had a search warrant, which they claimed gave them the right to enter my home. However, once I told showed them my I.D. and informed them their search warrant was invalid since I wasn't who they were looking for, they soon left. It baffles me how they could say it was so easy to open my front door, when they'd opened it with locksmith tools. I'm definitely going to have to improve my home security to avoid another incident like this.
kate3101
15
There's a particular sort of bailiff (Sherrifs) who have more powers granted by the High Court to enter premises and seize goods. However, even they are not legally allowed to enter a private residence without consent. Some Bailiff companies try to intimidate people into allowing them to take all sort of illegal actions. You should report this to the police as an attempted burglary.
99% of locks used on homes, especially in the US, are the really cheap ones. You could probably pick the lock with a $30 pick set, a few YouTube videos and a few hours of practice. Yes, it really is that easy. Scary isn't it? With that said most burglars go with "brute force entry" so you are generally better off improving your door frame, which is almost always the point of failure when a door is kicked in.
Get a gun. I assume based on your terminology that you are residing in Britain (in which case you cannot own guns). Guns are the ultimate security.
If someone /really/ wants to get in your house, they'll get in. Expensive locks or not.
Good luck with that
After reading Avapaige's comment right above yours, my first thought was confirmed: I have never heard of a law enforcement officer picking a lock. I could be wrong; I don't know what the law is in the UK, but that does sound kinda shady. Maybe call the police department just to make sure it was on the up-and-up?
@65: Yeah, you will really help your case by shooting law enforcement... Especially if they have a search warrant... Idiot.
My house got broken into a couple weeks ago. Everything was locked. They got in through brute force, breaking the window frame.
We can get guns but there are very few models that can be owned by civilians and it is very difficult to get a licence. I personally could qualify for a single round rifle with just enough stoping power to kill a fox. A friend of mine owns several functioning antiques including a tommy gun but he has a PhD in history and shows them off at fairs. If he ever gets any kind of criminal record it's bye bye collection.
Emelsh16
11
OH MY GOD I MODERATED THIS AND VOTED YES I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW
RocketNinjaFish
12
Am I the only one that read this as Bayleefs? (from Pokemon). I was freaking out for a second :)
That would be awesome lol
Meh. Quilavas are better.
What about Typhlosion?
No matter what, pikachu will always be the best
Since it was invalid, it's breaking & entering...I'd sue.
Considering they have a search warrant and left as soon as they were informed of their mistake, it's not invalid. Nothing to sue about.
br00kr
22
O can pick a lock with a hair clip. In five minutes tops. I think they had some problems if they needed to spend that much time to pick your lock. They probably weren't real sherriffs......
lifeisstrange84
8
I'd call the police anyway.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
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Bailiffs? Wtf? You mean the fat security guards in the court rooms? I didn't know they worked outside the court.
There's a particular sort of bailiff (Sherrifs) who have more powers granted by the High Court to enter premises and seize goods. However, even they are not legally allowed to enter a private residence without consent. Some Bailiff companies try to intimidate people into allowing them to take all sort of illegal actions. You should report this to the police as an attempted burglary.