Nothing will be done about anti-social behaviour among travellers

SIR – Steve Cattell (Letters, August 22) asks: “When is anything going to be done about travellers?” The answer is never, until travellers are classed as a social group rather than an ethnic group.

Anyone saying or doing anything against this group will fall foul of the Race Relations Act. Consequently no politician, government body or civil servant will do anything to curb their behaviour.

Chalvington, East Sussex

SIR – The police in Norfolk are asking the public in Cromer what can be learnt from the trouble caused by travellers, which was so bad that the town had to go into “lock down”. The only lesson that the public can learn from the police inaction is: “Don’t call us because you’re on your own.”

It is surely time the police stopped trying to be social engineers and returned to their main duties, one of which is keeping the peace. That does not mean standing back to monitor and observe the situation while the public does their job for them.

Hoveton, Norfolk

SIR – We were in Walsingham last week, a place of pilgrimage no less, and the pubs had been advised by the police to close their doors since exactly a year ago one pub was broken up by visiting travellers.

Why are the police playing down the events; is it another example of misplaced political correctness?

Sutton Coldfield

SIR – I heartily agree with Philip Johnston’s article (Comment, August 23) regarding travellers and the lack of action by the police.

We, here in Poole, are besieged by illegal encampments during the summer months. The local populace fails to understand why those driving expensive cars and living in expensive trailers can get away with parking for nothing on public car parks and in public parks, and leave mess that costs thousands of pounds to clear when they go.

Poole, Dorset

SIR – The headline “Police should treat travellers the same as they do everyone else” (Comment, August 23) contained the exact words I uttered one day this week when I visited Manchester Royal Infirmary.

There were at least 10 travellers’ vehicles parked on the grass verges round the car park. This would ordinarily result in the vehicles being towed away and their owners fined.

When asking in the ward what was happening, we were told that a senior member of the travellers was in hospital and the whole family had come with him. But the parking was too sensitive for the police to deal with. They had been there for about a week. Everybody else has to pay the car park fees. Why don’t they?

Timperley, Cheshire