The telegraph
Travelers will be prevented from returning to illegal locations for one year
Travelers will be prevented from returning to illegal locations for a year due to a government crackdown to be announced in the new year. The police will be empowered to prosecute travelers if they return to a specific location within 12 months, a quadruple of the time limit of the current three months. Those who break the law could face up to three months in prison and fines of up to £ 2,000. It is part of a revision of the legislation to prevent illegal camps that, according to the ministers, cause “significant suffering” to communities. The reforms, part of the New Year’s Police and Protection Powers Bill, will give councils powers to direct travelers to authorized locations in neighboring municipal districts. The police are currently prohibited from moving travelers outside the council area where they camped. The police will also be able to act earlier, as the intervention limit will be reduced from six caravans parked illegally to two. It follows widespread complaints from deputies and residents about trespassing, noise and antisocial behavior. There are an estimated 23,000 traveler caravans in England, of which 14 percent are parked in unauthorized locations. Priti Patel, the Minister of the Interior, is expected to make a manifest commitment to give the police new powers “to arrest and seize property and vehicles from invaders who set up unauthorized camps in order to protect our communities.” This will be done by making it a criminal offense for travelers to intentionally invade private lands when setting up camp. The move was promoted by Ms. Patel when she was a grassroots MP alongside Alok Sharma, now secretary of business, and John Whittingdale, minister of culture. Mr Sharma said: “My vision is clear – the law needs to be strengthened and transgression must be considered a criminal offense. “This is the case for the Republic of Ireland and we need that change here. This will prevent illegal camps, as the individuals concerned will understand that they will face criminal sanctions, rather than civil ones, from the start. ”Civil sanctions for dumping flies, which leave farmers having to pay tens of thousands of pounds to clean up the dumped garbage, and occupations in commercial facilities should not be affected by the changes. The proposal to criminalize the invasion was first discussed by conservatives in the party’s 2010 general election manifesto. “The vast majority of travelers are law-abiding citizens – but illegal sites often give an unfair and negative image of their community and cause distress and misery to those who live nearby,” said a government source. “There is a widespread perception that the law does not apply to travelers and that is deeply worrying.” The initiatives are being contested by travel organizations, who claim that they care more about the election campaign than about any perceived problems. The charity Friends, Families and Travelers (FFT) said that even the police did not believe that the new criminal powers were needed. Responses to government consultation obtained by the charity under the freedom of information (FOI) legislation showed that 75 percent of police responses indicated that their current powers were sufficient and / or proportionate. In addition, 84 percent did not support the criminalization of unauthorized camps and 65 percent said the lack of provision at the site was the real problem. Abbie Kirkby, a FFT advisor and policy manager, said the proposed laws would make the lives of Roma and travelers miserable. She said: “The evidence we have collected shows that the Home Office is deliberately ignoring police opinions about unauthorized camps. The consultation made it clear that the government’s motive was to use Roma and travelers to gather votes at election time. ”