Essex gypsy and traveller protocol for unlawful encampments
A joint protocol has been agreed on how to manage unlawful encampments following a series of round table discussions involving representatives from all District, County and Unitary Councils across Essex.
The shared process and shared protocol developed together following these discussions is the first time that an approach has been developed that covers the whole of Essex. As a result of this it is able to provide much greater clarity for all the parties involved.
Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “This has been a substantial piece of work and respresents a positive step forward. By developing a shared understanding of how we can manage unlawful encampments we are able to move towards a much more systematic and fair approach across Essex.
“Unlawful encampments can cause significant distress to local residents and by offering a clear and consistent picture of how these will be handled we can hopefully make it simpler for everybody to understand what will happen when and the factors that have to be taken into account.
“Both the police and councils can find themselves in difficult positions in relation to unlawful encampments so gaining clarity around the process helps manage situations when they arise. Getting agreement from so many different parties is never easy and I would like to thank all of the councils across Essex for participating in the process and seeing the benefits of securing a joint approach.
“In a complex situation no one group can get all that they want but by developing a shared understanding that is acceptable for all of the parties involved we can create something that works for everybody. By working together in a consistent way we can achieve more.”
For more information about the protocol please click on the link below.
PROTOCOL Unauthorised Encampments – a Partnership approach
