Bid to outlaw illicit camps in our towns
THE Government is proposing measures aimed at stopping illegal encampments such as one that happened last month in the car park of Coopers Square shopping centre in Burton.
Land in South Derbyshire is also regularly used for such purposes during the summer, including, in recent years, at Maurice Lea Memorial Park in Church Gresley.
Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Government is proposing a new criminal offence of “intentional trespass”.
It would apply to anyone aged
18 or over who resides or intends to reside on land without consent of the occupier of the land, with the aim to make it easier for police to intervene to reduce distress to the public.
The Bill, which is now in the Lords, having been through the Commons, contains a wideranging raft of measures aimed at overhauling the criminal justice system.
In Derbyshire, police and crime commissioner Angelique Foster has been contacted by residents concerned about illegal encampments.
She said: “People have told me that illegal encampments impact on the quality of local life. I want to ensure the rights of local residents are balanced against the needs of the travelling community. It is important to act swiftly and effectively and ensure residents feel supported.
“I am taking the issue very seriously and am pleased the Government is taking action to address these problems nationally, recognising the distress and misery for those communities living near an unauthorised encampment.
“There is a clear commitment between all partners to devise a more effective system to enable illegal encampments to be identified and removed quickly. The introduction of new legislation means the police will be better placed to deal with challenging issues and support that process.”
Earlier this year, a report from a group of peers and MPS warned there was a “significant risk” measures put forward by the Government as part of the Bill could have a “disproportionate impact” on the rights of Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities.
The chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) Harriet Harman said at the time: “This Bill takes a major step in making it a criminal offence for Gypsy, Roma and travellers’ communities to be on private land without consent. The JCHR has made a number of proposals to clarify and limit these new offences to ensure that the human rights of these communities are respected at the same time as landowners have their property rights protected.”
The report warned that without changes, the Bill was “likely to be in breach of the right to respect for private and family life” under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It proposed instead that criminal action should only be brought against those where an authorised site has been made available by the council for the area as a more “proportionate” option.
The Home Office said at the time: “The vast majority of travellers are law -abiding, and we recognise their right to follow a nomadic way of life in line with their cultural heritage.
“Unauthorised encampments reflect badly on the law-abiding traveller community – they can cause misery to those who live nearby, with communities impacted by problems such as being unable to access or use their land, and excessive noise and littering.
“It’s therefore right we are giving the police the powers they need to address this issue and the Government will continue its work to provide more authorised sites for travellers to reside on. We expect police to treat all communities with respect and enforcement decisions will absolutely not be made on the basis of ethnicity or race.”
I am taking the issue very seriously and am glad the Government is taking action.
Angelique Foster