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Courtesy of the Times.
Police could be given tougher powers to target travellers and Gypsies after nearly 4,000 caravans were found on unauthorised sites across the country. Dominic Raab, the housing minister, said that he was “deeply troubled” by allegations about the behaviour of travellers and “particularly by the widespread perception that the rule of law does not apply to those who choose a nomadic lifestyle”.
He will launch a consultation today looking at police and council powers, court processes, government guidance, the provision of legal sites and their impact on settled communities. It will be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. In the foreword Mr Raab said he was determined to address the complaint “that available enforcement powers do not protect settled communities adequately”. The traveller caravan count, which is published annually by the government, found that the number of traveller caravans on authorised sites rose from about 14,500 in July 2010 to 19,000 in July last year, an increase of 32 per cent. The figures also show a significant number of unauthorised encampments across England, accounting for 16 per cent of all caravans last summer.
The consultation says that unauthorised developments and encampments resulted in difficulties for settled communities, including trespassing, damage to property, extensive litter and waste, noise, and antisocial, abusive and threatening behaviour. Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Provision of sites is part of the solution but I think there will be a significant minority who are not going to adhere to the rules, who are not going to be directed to authorised sites. We need to make sure the enforcement powers are there to deal with that, both so that the majority of travellers don’t find their reputation tarnished but also to deal with the understandable frustration that settled communities have with the illegal incursions and some of the antisocial behaviour that comes with it.”
Under the consultation, trespass laws could be tightened to bring them closer into line with those in Ireland. Aggravated trespass is a criminal offence in England, applicable when people trespass on land and intimidate the landowner or others, and is punishable by up to three months in prison. In Ireland it is an offence for any person to enter and occupy land without the owner’s permission, or bring any object on to the land, if this is likely to “substantially damage” the land or interfere with it. The act also gives Irish police discretion to direct trespassers to leave land if they suspect that this offence is being committed. Failure to comply with a direction is punishable by a fine and/or one-month prison sentence. The consultation also aims to find out why local authorities are not using existing powers to bring civil injunctions to protect land, and whether it is possible to speed up the court process to evict trespassers.
The government document acknowledges that Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities are among the most disadvantaged in British society and suffer multiple forms of discrimination. Studies show that they have the lowest attainment of all ethnic groups throughout their school years, have a life expectancy of more than 10 per cent less than the general population and poor health.
Yvonne MacNamara, chief executive of the Traveller Movement, said: “The Traveller Movement hope that this consultation addresses and deals with the lack of authorised and safe sites available to the Gypsy and traveller community. “A lack of funding and political will over many years has perpetuated a severe shortage of sites, which in turn has perpetuated illegal encampments with nowhere else to go.”