Police will pay thousands to tree protesters over arrests
Force close to agreeing series of settlements
SOUTH YORKSHIRE Police are to pay thousands in compensation to a group of Sheffield antitree-felling protesters who were arrested under trade union legislation which officers had “no grounds” to use.
Seven of 14 people arrested under the regulations are taking legal action and the force confirmed today it is in the process of agreeing payouts, with some settlements already reached.
It is understood the payments that have been agreed already are for around £3,000 each.
It comes after the Independent Office for Police Conduct upheld appeals in August from six complainants relating to arrests made in connection with tree-felling work in the city under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act between November 2016 and February 2017.
The IOPC said the force had “no grounds” to use the legislation to make the arrests and recommended “management action” for three officers involved.
Protesters who oppose a major tree-felling programme in the city had employed a tactic of standing directly under threatened trees to prevent their removal by council contractors.
Between late 2016 and early 2017, 14 people were arrested for preventing lawful work under the rarely-used Section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992.
In March 2017 after the CPS discontinued criminal cases, Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said there was “no mileage” in the force making arrests under the legislation, which is normally used in relation to workers on picket lines during strikes.
Sheffield Council subsequently successfully applied for a High Court injunction making such ‘direct action’ protests involving standing underneath threatened trees an offence.
Iftikhar Manzoor, from Howells Solicitors in Sheffield, which is representing some of the complainants, said: “I confirm that I have settled a number of claims for the tree campaigners. There a number of outstanding claims and further details will be made public in the New Year.”
A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: “We have agreed, or are in the process of agreeing, a private settlement with those individuals affected by this matter.”
The force said in August: “It is important to understand the IOPC did not question the officers’ motivation for the arrests, but questioned whether they were appropriate. No officers were found to have a case to answer for misconduct.”
A statement issued by the IOPC about its investigation into the appeals said: “After reviewing the police’s investigation, we upheld the complaints in relation to the grounds on which the arrests were made.
“Though we found there was reasonable suspicion that an offence had been committed, the protesters were arrested for the prevention of harm and injury; there were no grounds for this as there was no risk of injury. We TWO ENVIRONMENTAL charities have welcomed a “turning point” in the Sheffield tree saga after the city’s council put forward a new approach to reduce felling numbers following months of talks with campaigners.
The Woodland Trust and Trees for Cities have both strongly criticised the council’s approach to the felling of thousands of street trees in the past but have welcomed new measures announced last week, along with a commitment to develop a new street tree strategy next year.
Campaigners have argued that many healthy trees did not need to be removed – something Trees for Cities says has now been backed up by the authority’s new approach.
David Elliott, chief executive of Trees for Cities, said: “We are glad to see that Sheffield City Council has announced a change in approach. Thousands of trees have been felled, when sadly many of them could have been saved.”
have recommended management action for the three officers who made the arrests.”
Earlier this month, Sheffield Council laid out plans to fell fewer trees as part of highways maintenance work following talks with campaigners in a bid to end the long-running dispute.
Felling work, which has seen around 5,500 street trees removed so far and replaced with saplings, has been on hold since March.