How do bailiffs find cars?

[csg6]

Hi everyone,

 

I foolishly didn't pay a couple of parking fines. I live in East London, but often spend time at my fiancee's house in South London. Recently I was there in South London, with my car parked outside, only to find the next day my car had been towed away and impounded by the Task Enforcement company.

 

I was just wandering if anyone knew how they were able to locate my car, even though it wasn't parked outside my address, where the car is registered??

 

Thanks

 

csg6

[ThisVeryMoment]

The bailiffs often use tarot card readers, soothsayers and crystal balls. Most effective.

 

Next time park sensibly or pay the fines!

[PriorityOne]

TVM seems to support the "other side". I'm sure someone else will be along to advise you more appropriately at some point....

 

[tomtubby]

Nearly all bailiff compnies use ANPR ( Automatic Number Plate Recognition) equipped vehicles to locate your car.

 

ANPR. is where your car can have it's number plate read via a video camera on board the vehcile and this information is then matched against various computer databases, for example:the Driver Vehicle Licence Authority (DVLA), Police National Computer (PNC), motor insurers databases and local police force intelligence systems.....but mainly by bailiffs.

 

In this particular case, Task Enforcement will have a computer record of the vehicle registrations of all warrants of execution that have been given to them by the relevant local authority. So instead of knocking at doors to collect money, they instead will drive around London streets...in particular supermarket car parks multi storey car parks and railway station car parks and as soon as they have passed a vehicle with a registration that matches an unpaid warrant they will clamp the car.

 

This method of locating vehicles is now very popular indeed.

 

Task are a new company that went into the bailiff business last year. They have very few certificated bailiffs so it is wise to run a check first to establish whether or not the bailiff is permitted to clamp the vehicle in the first place.

 

You should note that only Certificated Bailiffs are allowed by law, to collect PCN’s. Section 78(7) of the Road Traffic Act states that “any person who attempts to seize goods in payment of parking fines who is not a “Certificated Bailiff” and any person who authorises him are committing an offence of "trespass”.

[Renta Mouth]

The bailiffs often use tarot card readers, soothsayers and crystal balls. Most effective.

 

Next time park sensibly or pay the fines!

 

That doesn't answer the question.

 

Is the vehicle fitted with Tracker? the police often use this against you as well as finding your car when its stolen.

 

Did you leave your mobile phone turned on and left inside the car? the police trace the location of criminals by the registered or known mobile. The Bailiff could have used this methodology.

 

The bailiff may have followed you after finding your vehicle inaccassable at your own home e.g. in a garage or behind another vehicle away from the road.

 

Just a few thoughts.

 

For now report the vehicle stolen with the police and if they dont accept its been stolen then if you bought the vehicle new, inform the manufacturer who can tell their dealership network to hold the vehicle for you if someone brings it in to disable or re-program the engine imobiliser.

 

I succsessfully recovered a car in this way when it was nicked (apparently by a bailiff) and the next day he took it on a flatbed truck to a dealership asking for the key to be re-chipped. The dealership detained the car and phoned me to colllect it.

[Renta Mouth]

in particular supermarket car parks multi storey car parks and railway station car parks and as soon as they have passed a vehicle with a registration that matches an unpaid warrant they will clamp the car.

 

What if the car has changed owners? does the new owner become liable?

 

What does Section 172 of the RTA say on that?

 

An HPI check does not check for parking ticket liability.

[tomtubby]

If you sell the vehicle, as long as you complete the relevant part of the V5 document to record the new owner you will have no problem.

 

Once a car is located by ANPR, the bailiff company wll contact their offices first and a DVLA search is undertaken to ensure that the owners name matches that on the outstanding PCN.

 

We have had endless cleints who's vehicles have been located by ANPR.

 

A word of caution, if you have three or more outstanding TFL Congestion Charge Notices then your car can be legally removed from the street as it is assumed that you are a persisent evader. But in this case the fees charged by bailiffs are very different indeed and the immobilisation fee is just £65. You must also pay the amount of each ticket which will be £155 each.

[B.A.Ts]

The bailiffs often use tarot card readers, soothsayers and crystal balls. Most effective.

 

Next time park sensibly or pay the fines!

 

Important we give accurate advice here!

maybe you need to take a leaf out of your own book when posting in other threads

[Renta Mouth]

Once a car is located by ANPR, the bailiff company wll contact their offices first and a DVLA search is undertaken to ensure that the owners name matches that on the outstanding PCN.

 

We have had endless cleints who's vehicles have been located by ANPR.

 

I think its quite sad we have people going round in vans like this. It would seem the government has a war on motorists.

[Renta Mouth]

Want to share that with us?

[Renta Mouth]

Its either illegal or its not.

 

Damaging a wheelclamp is illegal.

 

Fixing another wheelclamp over the existing wheelclamp to stop the vehicle being taken is not.

[setmefree]

however if clamped on private land or even on a public road if you cut the lock away. As long as you replace it with a lock of equivelant value then there is sugar they can do to you.

 

I would disagree how would they unlock their clamp,(different key) you must remember bailiff's are street wise,and i bet they could suck a golf ball through a hosepipe...lmao:D

[electron99]

I think its quite sad we have people going round in vans like this. It would seem the government has a war on motorists.

 

My thoughts exactly.So much money,manpower and resources are going into attacking the motorist ,criminals are going about their illegal business laughing up their sleeves because they know that it is not cost effective to tackle difficult targets such as themselves.

[Markiemark1]

The sensible posting about ANPR is the most accurate answer. Bailiff companies will not have access to mobile phone signals etc etc etc. Be careful if you decide to report the vehicle stolen. The vehicle has been impounded and removed into the custody of the law. It has not been stolen. In fact there are seperate offences commited by the debtor if the goods are "rescued" after they have been seized by a bailiff. Providing of course the bailiff has acted within the law.

[tomtubby]

Also it should be noted that if the vehicle is removed from a London street ( over 220,00 last year !! ) the bailiff MUST inform an organistation by the name of TRACE that your vehicle has been removed.

 

If your car is missing in London, this is the first telephone call that should be made.

 

In the same way that your may make a Statutory Declaration about a parking ticket. you may do the same even if the vehicle has been clamped, (immobilised) or removed.

 

Remember that you need to check your original parking ticket, or congestion charge notice as it may very well be non compliant in light of the Moses v Barnet landmark ruling in the High Court last September. After this court case, ALL local authorities around the country were told that they MUST reword their parking charge notice. So many are STILL using the old tickets as it is not a simple matter of just reprinting tickets.....changes need to be made to the software on the relevant computers as well.

[PizzaMaker]

I think its quite sad we have people going round in vans like this. It would seem the government has a war on motorists.

 

I have to say that when a car is located via ANPR the bailiff company does not have direct access to the DVLA, they rely on the most recent DVLA check within there company.

 

Nearly all bailiff companies have ANPR vans and the view from the councils is that they are trying try target persistent offenders rather than the odd run of the mill person who may only have the one ticket against them.

[patrickq1]

I would disagree how would they unlock their clamp,(different key) you must remember bailiff's are street wise,and i bet they could suck a golf ball through a hosepipe...lmao:D

and then fire it through there ass to hit you in the eye imho lol could nt resist...a lot of the car tracking info comes from the police..this i beleive is not legal procedure but its a case of who you know and dont know..

[ThisVeryMoment]

Not exactly "attacking the motorist" is it. It is attacking people who;

 

1) Park illegally.

2) Get fined.

3) Dont pay the fine.

[B.A.Ts]

Not exactly "attacking the motorist" is it. It is attacking people who;

 

1) Park illegally.

2) Get fined.

3) Dont pay the fine.

 

Maybe you should focus your 'verbal attacking' on the people who often destroy the lives of people just because of a simple parking ticket/fine.

There is enough proof on this forum that the bailiffs/debt collectors are not angels and they also break the laws set out by governing bodies. You also need to be made aware that these people ie debt collectors and bailiffs make many many mistakes that innocent people end up paying for... Tell me who is out of pocket when some one gets a parking fine.. whose life is ruined when some one dosnt pay that fine... !!!???

[barracad]

I was just wandering if anyone knew how they were able to locate my car, even though it wasn't parked outside my address, where the car is registered??

 

I think the OP's question has now been answered. As the recent posts do not seem to be adding anything constructive this thread is now closed.