New laws ‘will breach rights of all travellers’

TOUGHER LAWS to crack down on unauthorised encampments could breach the human rights of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, a group of MPs and peers has warned.

There is a “significant risk” that measures put forward by the Government as part of its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill could have a “disproportionate impact” on the rights of such communities, according to the findings of a parliamentary inquiry.

The legislation is part of efforts to overhaul the justice system, cut offending and make streets safer, the Government said.

But the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has made a number of recommendations for amendments to the Bill – which includes proposals to give police more powers to tackle unauthorised encampments which interfere with the ability to use land.

Committee chairman Harriet Harman, inset, said: “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.” Although the Government must protect the rights of all concerned, they “should not use criminal law to address what is essentially a planning issue”, the findings said, adding: “Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities often have little option other than unauthorised encampments, because local authorities are failing to build a sufficient number of authorised sites.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “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. We expect police to treat all communities with respect.”