The Sheriff's Department in Ireland is similar to ours here in Australia. Ireland is bogged down in serious debt and life for many will never be the same again. Sheriffs are roaming the country seizing assets of failed businessmen and others who have defaulted on loans.
"When money was really tight, they literally took blankets off beds" said a Dublin businessman who advises others on how to deal with bloodthirsty sheriffs. "They don't do that anymore, they're looking for high value items. Ricky Wilson in Dublin is selling a $50,000 Ducati 996 motorbike which was seized by a sheriff, a telling sign of the times.
It's rather a lucrative business for those who have the stomach for it. Sheriffs get a commission known as "poundage" on the goods they get, taking 5 percent on the first 5,500 pounds seized, then a further 2.5 percent on any additional balance. "They love motor vehicles because they can be driven away" said Stafford who published a leaflet entitled 'Keeping the Sheriff at Bay'. "They don't like dealing with cattle".
John Fitzpatrick, a Dublin-based sheriff told an American newspaper how "One home I visited was palatial, an absolute palace. The guy was reduced to bankruptcy and was very emotional. I don't think he had anything left".
The Sheriffs in Australia work in a similar way, but I don't know how they are paid. They enforce court decisions, usually for debts owed by the defendant. Officers call at the address on the warrant and demand payment. If it's not made, they seize assets for sale to recover the money like furniture, cars, boats and even real estate.
When my daughter was looking at propety to buy recently, she came across a sad case of a young couple who were living in their house without a fridge, washing machine or any furniture. They had a new baby and were sleeping on an air mattress. The Sheriff had been in the week before and cleaned out their entire home. I had no idea that such things were going on right under my nose in Sydney.
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