Today marks one month until the Home Office consultation, to criminalise trespass or increase police powers to evict Travellers, closes.
The consultation, due to close at 23:59pm 4 March 2020, seeks to strengthen police powers against roadside Travellers.
We need as many people as possible to stand up and fight against the Government’s plans. With just a month to go, it’s more important than ever that Gypsy and Traveller voices are heard.
The easiest way to respond to the consultation is through the Friends Families and Travellers short form. The form takes just 2 minutes to complete. Simply tick the four boxes and write a short statement on how the changes could affect you.
The Government’s proposals could:
- Make trespass a crime – resulting in prison, a fine or your vehicle being taken from you.
- Make it a crime for you to stop alongside or on the road – they will be able to move you along.
- Make it so police can act when there’s two vehicles, instead of six. A car, a trailer and a van would count as three vehicles.
- Make it so police can force you to go to a transit site in another county.
- Make it so you’re banned from an area for one year instead of three months.
Speaking about the consultation, Abbie Kirkby, Advice and Police Manager at Friends Families and Travellers:
“These proposed changes will have a devastating impact on Gypsy and Traveller communities across the length and breadth of England and Wales. Until a viable solution is offered to the systemic lack of sites, criminalising families and individuals who have no place to go is inhumane and cruel.”
Notes for Editor
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works on behalf of all Gypsies, Roma and Travellers regardless of ethnicity, culture or background.
Media Contact
Sami McLaren, Communications Officer
Tel: 01273 234 038 Email: [email protected]
Relevant Resources
Friends Families and Travellers. ‘How to respond to Government plans to strengthen police powers against Gypsies and Travellers’. View page.
