Direct Security Solutions & DCBL Collaborate Once Again

6th December 2021

Last week, Direct Security Solutions, and our sister company, DCBL, successfully collaborated on an extensive Squatter Removal operation in East London. Our SIA accredited security officers teamed up with DCBL’s certificated High Court Enforcement agents, as well as London police officers and specialist contractors, with the end of the day seeing a triumphant result for our client and all involved.

This operation was a huge undertaking: we received reports that the property had numerous large groups of squatters occupying various areas of the site, which consisted of a 10-storey block of flats, and 2 commercial blocks with residential premises on the first floor, as well as land adjacent to the buildings. The total area that our teams had to cover was over 10,000 square meters. The large area and a significant number of squatters occupying meant that extra planning and adherence to social distancing guidance were needed alongside the usual in-depth risk assessments that we conduct, and several pre-execution site attendances and client and contractor meetings were held prior to the day.

On the day of the removal, 20 of our security officers and 26 of DCBL’s High Court Enforcement Agents attended the site. DCBL’s specialist Welfare and Support team also attended to ensure any vulnerable individuals were identified and helped throughout the process. Fortunately, our intensive planning which included pre-site visits meant some of the squatters began to disperse as our teams arrived, but there was still a lot of land and building space to cover.

However, the remaining individuals showed aggression, and not just to our staff. There were 2 reported incidents of fighting amongst the squatters themselves; our officers immediately apprehended those involved and removed them from the site, assisting those that needed support from the Welfare team, and ensuring the safety of the rest of the squatters and the various teams in attendance.

After a long and challenging 11 hours, the property was finally clear and returned to the client, with Direct Security Solutions establishing full security of the site once again. Fortunately, DCBL’s Welfare and Support team weren’t busy during this operation but, as always, we’re ready to help with any instances of vulnerability. Our attention to detail in the planning stage, our dedication to ethical and effective security solutions, and our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our officers, DCBL agents, contractors, and the squatters, all paid off as ultimately the squatter removal was a complete success.