NO2ID

Me too , this is the fly-in-the-strategic-ointment - unless the goons resorted to forcing entry which would be like something out of a Nazi totalitarian state. Ve vav vays van veanz

Next round it will be the heavy-duty "copper's knock" - it is unmistakeable, specially designed to intimidate "The Occupier" into opening up :"OPEN UP!! CENSUS "" Watch out tricks like the the "reminder" sticking half way out of the letter-box so that they know that someone has been and collected it i.e the property is Occupied

DO NOT be intimidated by these goons

Tactics remain the same:

No Contact!
No Comment!
Do not open the door to them!

Don't I'm already paranoid enough!
I'm also a wimp because I find it easier to ignore callers if I am not eyeballing them from my chair 4 foot from the front window .
Actually I read somewhere there would be ex coppers on the job?
I don't expect the heavy brigade to start calling before the back end of this week (famous last words) - because there would be training, going through experiences so far, formulating tactics and a PLAN.
But it would certainly be interesting to know how many are still holding out and whether the number of 'officers' is still set at 100. Because even if the former has gone down to half ie around 3 million, 100 couples will not achieve even a single visit to each person over the timescale.
On the subject of heavy knocks, one visitor has already tried battering the house down.
Or so I am told....

The reason that they batter the door besides attempting to intimate any Occupiers that may be hiding behind the sofa and the Police really do (and I have heard Census "officers" too ) is to try and force the door open - then they can just enter the "unsecured" property of their own accord. As long as they don't run at it or use "tools" they are in the clear - it just like "flew open". Your door is your line of defence - make sure that it is secure and I mean REALLY because it can expect some heavy knocks and I mean REALLY heavy knocks.

These "non-compliance officers" are going to be really sneaky and yes, they WILL have a PLAN.

No Contact!
No Comment!
Do not open the door to them!

They wouldn't be leaving of their own accord if they tried that with me.

Any successful attempt at forcing a door / unauthorised entry to a private dwelling is called burglary and can be dealt with accordingly by the householder (shotguns are optional, but allowed).

What if you weren't in? Would they close the door behind them or leave it open for anybody else to wander in to nick your stuff?

I have two doors and the inner door is as solid as a rock

If you weren't in they would just leave your property in its "unsecured" state with an optional "calling card" ) If the police force entry (with a warrant) they don't clean up the mess afterwards; the property is just left for someone else to sort out. Bailiffs do this too - pound a door until it flies of its hinges. I wonder if there are any bailiffs in their ranks. It is not illegal because they are only "knocking" your door; it just so happens that it flies of its hinges in the process

Only time will tell what their PLAN is, in the meantime just to be on the safe side I would make sure that your door can stand the "pound test".

No Contact!
No Comment!
Do not open the door to them!

INVESTIGATION STATUS - ACTIVE

Dear Occupier

I have sent this document by Recorded Delivery so that I have a record of your receipt.

After repeated attempts to contact you regarding your failure to return a completed Census form I have no option
but to pass your details to our Non-Compliance Team. Your address is now the subject of a full investigation.

Non-Compliance Officers have been authorised to visit your home and interview you under caution.

If any evidence is found that you have knowingly or wilfully not completed a Census return the details will be pass to
the Crown Prosecution Service* for Prosecution. You will be required to attend the Magistrates' Court and face a fine of £1000 and a Criminal Record. Your name will be added to the Census National Enforcement Database.

I feel that it is my duty to inform you that if I receive no response from this letter I attend to apply to the Magistrates' Court for a Search Warrant.

Yours Sincerely

H Himmler

Census Non-Compliance Enforcement

* Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland

Unconfirmed reports are being of Occupiers being visited in their workplace by these goons. This is straight out of the police manual - you would think that these kind of tactics would be reserved for the "non-compliance" goons. Small wonder that they ask where you work on the form. Beware of neighbours with loose tongues.

Is that a genuine letter? It's straight out of TV Licensing's textbook. My years of no telly have given me a thick binder filled with years of their monthly lies, bluster and threats. They even sent me recorded delivery letters, which I refused at the door: Anything by registered post that I wanted would be
a) expected and b) sent to my True Name
Anything sent to Theo C. Cupier means they don't know your name, and are fishing for a way to get your signature and True Name.



Don't they know whether you're in Scotland or not?
That's ahallmark of Capita. One demonstration of their incompetence was their habit of sending one form letter for the whole country, with a small print footnote noting the differences in Scotland, they couldn't even adjust their letter wording depending on whether the postcode is scottish or english.
A sample of a TV licensing form letter in my collection, from 2004:

...sent to a postcode hundreds of miles from Scotland. One day they'll discover mailmerge, and the world will tremble.

No it can't be a real letter. For one thing, fines are not £1,000. The wording is 'up to'. Anyhow, for our edification and delight, I bring you the Compliance Officer job description and bases
https://censusjobs.co.uk/docs/images/57 ... nglish.pdf

Yup, the TV Licence/Capita "recorded delivery" classic reads:

"We are posting this Summary to you via Recorded Delivery so that we have signed proof that it has been received."

This is a KNOWN Capita "dirty trick".

lol at Capita they are always threatening us that they are going to obtain a search warrant from Stornoway Magistrates Court - Stornoway what lol

Even if you do fill it in there is still no escape:

https://censusjobs.co.uk/docs/images/57 ... nglish.pdf

Some edited highlights:

"2011 CCS interviewer

To ensure an accurate picture of the population, an independent survey – the Census
Coverage Survey (CCS) is carried out after the census. The households and people counted
in the CCS are matched with those recorded in the census to allow the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) to estimate the number and the characteristics of people not included on a
census questionnaire.

As a CCS interviewer, on the first two days of the field period you will locate all the
households in your designated area. The rest of the field period will be spent conducting a
short doorstep interview with a resident of each household.

You will also carry a bag containing
questionnaires and other supplies which you must keep with you while working.

You are normally required to carry out your duties between the following times:
8am to 9pm Monday to Friday
10am to 9pm Saturday and Sunday
There may be instances when your manager could ask you to work outside of these hours. In
addition at least 50% of these hours must be worked evenings (5pm to 9pm) and weekends.
During these hours we would expect to find members of the public/householders at home.
This post involves working hours which vary from week to week.

Dates Hours per week

09/05/11 – 22/05/11 25
23/05/11 – 03/06/11 15
04/06/11 – 10/06/11

Non-operational period for holiday allowance 0

Specific duties include:

• locating households in your designated area from a map (provided)
• contacting households to carry out door-step interviews
• calling back at each household until contact has been made

Specific requirements:

If you wish to be considered for this post, you must:
• be available to work for the period between 9 May 2011 and 3 June 2011
• be able to work between the hours of 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 9pm on
Saturdays and Sundays
• be able to work at least 50% of your hours after 5pm and at weekends

Qualities and skills required
We are looking for applicants who:

• are persistent and persuasive in contacting households and obtaining interviews

Period of employment, hours and pay:

This post will be varying hours between 9 May 2011 to 10 June 2011.
CCS interviewers will need to be flexible regarding working hours and additional hours
may be required.

Payment will consist of:
• a basic hourly rate of between £8.02 and £10.42 (dependant upon location) will be paid
throughout the period of employment. Hours must be claimed on a weekly basis
• a holiday payment. Due to operational business constraints, you will take your accrued
holiday entitlement once your census duties have concluded. This will be between 4 June
2011 and 10 June 2011 and is referred to as your ‘holiday period’. All accrued holiday pay
will be automatically calculated and paid to you at the end of your contract of employment

This so-called CenSuS is nothing short of harassment

[b]No Contact!
No Comment!
Do not open the door to them![b]

See, now that you have/The Occupier has filled in and returned their Census form

they will be back to interview/interrogate a resident of each household; the words a resident, it does not say The Occupier - spot the difference

They would like to estimate the number and the characteristics of people not included on a
census questionnaire/ hiding behind the sofa when The Occupier was filling out the form.

They will be "contacting households to carry out door-step interviews" and if you are "out"
they will be calling back at each household until contact has been made

And remember are persistent and persuasive in contacting households and obtaining interviews

"short doorstep interview" lol - has anyone ever done a short "market research interview". I bet this is even more intrusive than the original form, they'll be wanting to know what colour of knickers* you were wearing on Census night, you know what these creepy "market researchers" are like

One way or another we will ALL be receiving a "knock" - and they will be BACK!

* frilly white French ones (if I was wearing any )

"a bag containing questionnaires" - what more questionnaires And this time round questioning "a resident", but but "on the spot" so that they don't have time to confer with "The Occupier" - another trick straight out the the Police Manual It will be too bad if "A Resident" gives contradictory answers to "The Occupier". Then a "Compliance Officer" will be along to sew up a "confession". A LOT of people are going to be caught out! Talk about bang to rights!


No Contact!
No Comment!
Do not open the door to them!

What is the difference between "A Resident" and "The Occupier". Why has the form got to be completed by Law by the The Occupier but the follow-up (extended) questionnaire can be completed by "A Resident" who may or may not provide contradictory answers to what "The Occupier" has already given. Wouldn't someone be in deep doo-doo

This is a canard. Over-literalness with respect to the simplified language used on census forms, combined with making things up to cover lack of context. There are 4 sets of regulations and 3 bodies conducting the census in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. (A commercial survey firm would not fail to notice there ar problems with getting comparable data and even levels of response from questionnnaires with some different content and presentation, though curiously one struggles to find any recognition of that in official circles.)

The relevant regulations in England are: The Census (England and Wales) Order 2009 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3210/contents/made which prescribes who the persons are who must answer questions and about whom questions must be answered, and The Census (England) Regulations 2010 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/532/contents/made in which a persons who must answer questions is described as "a prescribed person". Census officers are also empowered in the 2010 regulations s13 to ask questions they think reasonable of any person.

There's an interaction (not really a conflict) between law, the ostensible purpose, and the actual administrative requirements of the census.

There aren't two questionnaires capable of contradictory answers by different persons. The ONS is likely content if it has one set of answers from a household - because its overriding concern, the main reason it is spending £200M more than last time round, is to avoid the embarrassment of obviously missing a lot of people and getting flak from local authorities and ministers. The prime purpose of the census is to keep doing it. The ONS intends to save the census from people noticing it is pointless and useless.

The original address to "the Occupier" is simply conventional manner of addressing any unknown person living in a place. It could equally have been addressed to "the Resident". They are the same thing. The personal census takers will deal with any resident because they suppose (reasonably enough) that any resident will know who lives there. Practically they cannot hope to get all the information nominally required on the form from an arbitrary resident in a household with multiple occupiers, but it is likely they will be content with what they can get at a certain (undisclosed) point. They are entitled, but not required, to fill in missing answers using information from any source. But in practice all the effort is focussed on getting back a questionnaire corresponding to each address on their original list.

The "heavy mob" will be travelling in pairs so it is really imperative that you stay within YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS and continue to ignore them. The reason that they will be acting as a duo is because that they each act as a WITNESS to back-up each other in Law. It is a really important concept in concept that WITNESS - you should all right it down somewhere for future reference.

Most (if not all, maybe a few TV Licence "inspectors", bailiffs amongst their number) will be ex-police i.e retired on a nice little earner They a TRAINED in the art of winding people up to PROVOKE a reaction. And then you give them the perfect excuse to call the REAL coppers; and it wont be failing to fill a Census form in that you will be ARRESTED for, more like Breach of the Peace or Threatening Behaviour. This is a whole new ballgame - DO NOT PLAY.

DO NOT GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT

DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED

IGNORE THEM NO MATTER HOW MANY CARDS THEY DROP THROUGH YOUR DOOR OR HOW HARD THEY THUMP YOU DOOR

EXERCISE YOUR LEGAL RIGHT TO IGNORE THEM


NO CONTACT
NO COMMENT
DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO THEM

It is absolutely disgusting that we are out working our fingers to the bone to pay for an "army" of ex-coppers to go around harassing decent people To say I am annoyed is an understatement; in fact, I am !"£$%^ fuming I have also heard that these Census Gestapo are being paid for hours that they don't actually work i.e. they get paid fully even if there are no doors to knock on. So these "enforcers" will indeed be onto a nice little earner

Yes the whole thing IS disgusting. Not to mention that Cameron himself admitted it was invasive last year.
This business is going to put a blight on my life till mid August. It would be so much easier to cave but I can't - out of principle and sheer bloody mindedness.
The thing to remember is it appears there is no legal deadline to fill this in. So if you do find your back against the wall, there is always a last option to 'comply'. Meanwhile it's a waiting game. The world is different now. There is so much communication on the net and we can learn from and support each other.

As far as I can make out, they have no legal authority and you have no legal obligation to open your door.

If you feel intimidated in any way, such as by loud, prolonged and zealous banging, then I think you should call the police and have them removed.

If you think this is ruining your life then consider getting a form. Some people have filled it with info that is likely enough not to trigger a query. Remember, it's illegal to give false information - ie verifiable - but they don't have the time or resources to check everything. Keep a copy just in case. Do not sign it - apparently there's no legal obligation to. (Ref: one of Spiritualentertainer's youtube videos of phone calls with ONS. Might be this one or another. But they're all interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DJqbqzye5s.)

Remember, if they visit you at all it is likely to be once only and they won't hang around for long - too many people on their list to get through. If you managed to avoid the first round of collectors and they have no evidence of refusal then you probably won't get a visit - not enough time/resources. If you're in, you're out. If they doorstep you, knock on the door as if you're calling too. If you're coming out, you don't actually live there - visitor, caretaker, on holiday, etc - so they have no rights to your details, name, etc. They really don't have the time to stake the place out and research everyone! Think about it and this will keep you calm.

I think these stories about ex-coppers are deliberately designed to make you *feel* intimidated so that they don't actually have to do any intimidating. Stay cool, charming and within your legal rights. You are not doing anything wrong. But they are, arguably. Remain blameless and extraordinarily pleasant. If it all gets too much stress, you can always fill in a form at any time, so there really is no pressure except what's in your own mind.

After this, we really should complain in mass to our MPs about these bully-boy tactics and intimidation of ordinary, pleasant and principled people organised and approved by bureaucrats sitting in their comfortable offices. Personally, I'd like to see the head of the ONS answer for this. Ideally, I'd like for him to lose his job.

Let's turn the psychological tables and put fear in the minds of the bullies. Anyone know if something is being organised?

HS

Thank you for your kind words.
I have mentioned this elsewhere - not sure if I have here - but wonder if it is worth approaching one of the supportive organisations to get together a fighting fund to help anyone prosecuted? I for one would contribute.
Any spare money could go into a legal fight against the next one.
I read somewhere that it will be Eurostat next, collecting data. Whatever - we need to either make sure there isn't another one or at the least ensure it is primarily a counting heads exercise..
That has to start with massive publicity re any prosecutions and harrassment (the more sweet old grannies the better ).

Things are heating up; looks like someone is polishing there jackboots

"Dear Householder

As of the date of this letter, we have not received your completed census questionnaire.

If you fail to return a completed census questionnaire by 6 May, your details will be passed to our non-compliance unit who may instigate prosecution proceedings.

Completion and return of your census is a legal requirement under the Census Act 1920, the Census (England and Wales) Order 2009, the Census (England) Regulations 2010 and the Census (Wales) Regulations 2010. Failure to return a completed questionnaire could lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000.

The quickest way to get it back to us is online, using the unique internet access code on the front of your paper copy. For help with completing your census questionnaire or if you require a replacement, use the census online help at www.census.gov.uk or contact the census helpline.

If you have completed and returned your census questionnaire already, then thank you and please ignore this lette.

Yours faithfully



G Watson
2011 Census Director
Officer for National Statistics"