The changing world of enforcement was the focus of talks this week (Mon Nov 21) at the House of Commons between Braintree High Court enforcement specialists Shergroup and local Conservative MPs Priti Patel and Brooks Newmark.

Ms Patel, the MP for Witham, hosted a special event for Shergroup, which was also attended by Braintree MP Mr Newmark, former Braintree MP Lord Tony Newton and his wife Lady Newton, industry officials and other guests.

Shergroup Chief Executive Claire Sandbrook said: “Shergroup has never been an enforcement agency which is just in the business of debt collection or land recovery. We’ve always been very vocal on topical issues in our industry, and we strive to challenge Government thinking and be good leaders in our community as a result.

“The House of Commons event gave us a very good platform to discuss things sensibly with interested parties. To our knowledge this is the first event of its kind held by an enforcement agency and we were very grateful to Ms Patel for her role as host and guest speaker.”

Mrs Sandbrook is a former Government advisor on Effective Enforcement and works to ensure that all officers and bailiffs attain exemplary standards.

Among the issues discussed were the proposals to criminalise squatting in England and Wales, with which she and her team are actively opposed. She said: “It appears to be something of a knee-jerk reaction. While we’d like to see squatters removed from premises quickly, we strongly believe it would be advisable to make the existing enforcement processes more speedy and effective. We are concerned about the social consequences of this policy and the emerging evidence about the vulnerability of many people who turn to squatting to give them a roof over their heads.”

Shergroup, continues to diversify its business interests into key divisions related to enforcement activities including security, technology, outsourcing, recruitment, and legal.

For further information about Shergroup’s services, visit the website or call 0845 890 9200.