Gypsies & Travellers

We aim always to provide fair and equal treatment and, to assist in this, Sussex Police has almost 60 Gypsy Traveller Liaison Officers (GTLOs) working across our county.  As part of our Neighbourhood Policing teams these police officers and police community support officers are provided with additional training to work with, and offer advice and support to, members of the Gypsy Traveller and settled communities.

They also advise other officers and staff within our Force on potentially difficult issues, trying to make sure that all communities are aware of developments which might affect them.  If you would like to contact the officer for your area, the details are listed here and the officers will be happy to provide help where they can.

Sussex Police officers work with local authorities to balance the needs of settled and Travelling communities. Local authority Traveller Liaison Officers are responsible for identifying and considering the welfare needs of Gypsies and Travellers who are staying on council-owned land and for ensuring that any legal procedures relating to the land are carried out appropriately.

Local authorities are responsible for initiating any legal action which may be required against groups living on their land. Sussex Police will visit these encampments to develop relationships with those living there to encourage mutual trust and to manage any tensions which might arise between Gypsy Traveller and settled communities.

Where there is sufficient evidence to identify individuals involved in criminal acts we will take action against them - this applies both to those from the Travelling communities and those committing offences against them.

Because there is a significant shortage of official pitches available for the current numbers of Gypsy and Traveller families, there will be a several unauthorised encampments across Sussex at any time. The responsibility for dealing with an unauthorised encampment rests with the land owner.

Police and local authority responsibilities

When an unauthorised encampment occurs, police and local authorities will visit the site within 24 hours. If the group arrives during a weekday, some local authorities will ask for police to attend the site for a joint visit.

The local authority has an obligation to perform welfare checks on those on the site and will also identify if any of those present have committed any offences in order to gain entry to the land. If this is the case, the police rely on witnesses to help make formal identification of those involved. Police will speak to the group to find out where they have come from and how long they plan to stay and will offer advice to the group about local issues.

At the end of the visit, the local authority will evaluate the situation and decide what, if any, action should be taken to deal with the unauthorised encampment.

Legal action on unauthorised encampments 

A caravan or trailer is recognised as being the home of a Gypsy or Traveller, as specified in the Human Rights Act, and any action taken must be justified, lawful, proportionate and necessary. Once all the circumstances of an unauthorised encampment have been assessed, a police officer at the rank of Superintendent (or above) may direct the individuals or the group to leave the land and to remove any vehicles or other property they have with them. They will use the following criteria to assist in their decision making:

• if the location of the encampment presents a risk to those on site (e.g. contaminated land or other hazard)
• if the land itself is of a particularly sensitive nature (e.g. Site of Special Scientific Interest)

• if it can be shown that the presence of the encampment is seriously disrupting the ability of the settled community to make use of facilities or conduct their business.

If none of the above is applicable, the local authority will either allow the encampment or consider legal proceedings. If they decide to take action, the local authority will need to provide witness statements to their legal department and make an application at the county court.

If a transit site within the same local authority area is available, they can offer this facility.

On occasion, Travellers may turn down this offer and whenever this occurs, the local authority can consider asking police to intervene. Police do not have the legislative powers to direct trespassers to any piece of land other than a designated caravan site. However; where requested, police can consider the use of legislation to direct those present on an unauthorised encampment to the approved site.

Whenever police action has been authorised, the Superintendent will allow the group to stay on the land for the remainder of the day so that families can have an evening meal together, the children can have an undisturbed night's sleep and the families do not have to travel during the night. The residents will be given a specified time by which they need to move on and failure to leave will result in police enforcing powers of eviction.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has developed a best practice guide to inform and assist officers in dealing with members of the Gypsy Traveller community. To ensure that members of both the settled and Travelling communities can live together peacefully, there is an expectation that Gypsies and Travellers will treat the land where they are staying with respect and will show care for the rights and freedoms of other people who also wish to use the area.