Policing Gypsies and Travellers

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Policing Gypsies and Travellers

• Dr Jo Richardson
• Centre for Comparative Housing Research
• Email jrichardson_at_dmu.ac.uk
• Website http//www.dmu.ac.uk/cchr

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Context for Debate

• Community cohesion?
• Meeting housing need?
• Dale Farm and North Shropshire examples

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Introduction to the paper

• Methodology
• Two main parts to the paper
• Wider theoretical context is important to
  understand practice
• Analysis of policing Gypsies and Travellers in
  practice
• This session will focus, largely, on the latter.

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Definition of Gypsy/Traveller

• For the purposes of this Circular Gypsies and
  Travellers means
• A person or persons who have a traditional
  cultural preference for living in caravans and
  who either pursue a nomadic habit of life or have
  pursued such a habit but have ceased travelling,
  whether permanently or temporarily, because of
  the education needs of their dependent children,
  or ill-health, old age, or caring
  responsibilities (whether of themselves, their
  dependants living with them, or the widows and
  widowers of such dependents), but does not
  include members of an organised group of
  travelling show people or circus people,
  travelling together as such.
• (Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Sites,
  Consultation Paper, 2004 11)

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Legislative Background

• Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994)
• Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2003)
• Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004)
• Homelessness Act (2002)
• Housing Act (2004)
• Circular 02/2005

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Gypsies, Travellers and Crime

• Dawson (2000) types of crime
• Misconceptions and Folk Devils

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Policing Context

• MPS Blair review
• Bowers survey of young Gypsies and Travellers
• Coxhead (2005) themes for police training
• Police call for duty on local authorities to
  provide sites

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Examples of policing in practice

• MPS strategy, assessment, engagement with
  community
• Milton Keynes and Oxford when good ideas go
  wrong.

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Conclusion

• policing, in the widest sense, happens on a
  daily basis Dandeker( 1990) and Foucault (1969)
• Importance of understanding culture and training
  of police
• Need for more authorised sites call for duty
  on local authorities