A Bristol police chief has explained the challenges
Caravans on the Downs and, inset, Bristol Commander for Neighbourhood policing, Supt Stephanie McKenna(Image: SWNS/Avon and Somerset police)
The Downs are too big for the council and police to be able to easily take legal action to remove groups of travellers and caravan and van dwellers, because court orders and injunctions taken out to move them on only mean they can move to another spot in the same area.
That was the admission from a senior police chief in Bristol, in a letter to a resident who had complained about a long list of issues on the Downs over the past couple of months. The letter, which has been shared on social media, was from the Bristol Commander for Neighbourhood policing, Supt Stephanie McKenna.
Supt McKenna explained what had happened with a group of Travellers who were the subject of a council court order moving them on from a pitch on Clifton Down, near the site of the now-closed Bristol Zoo. The Travellers – a separate group from the large number of people living in vans and caravans further north on Durdham Down – simply moved on, to a spot close to the Sea Walls, much to the frustration of local residents in the Protect The Downs campaign group.
Supt McKenna said it was a huge challenge to police the Downs, and the council struggled to take enforcement action. “Given the significant geographical footprint of the Downs and the open spaces that make up the general area it is difficult for the council to move individuals or groups on and then not find that they have lawfully taken up a pitch somewhere else which in effect starts the whole process of moving them on again,” she said.
“It’s unfortunately not as simple as to obtain a High Court writ for large geographical areas and my understanding is that applications need to be specific and have clear rationale. This leads to situations like the one we saw last week where a High Court writ was obtained and enforced and a group moved from the area included in the writ to the Sea Walls area which was not.
“This issue is being addressed, whereby the council have returned to court to expand their writ to the new location and the council are exploring the option of a year long injunction which will offer additional powers and options,” she added.
Supt McKenna said Avon and Somerset police had to police the Downs and the people there in a proportionate way. “I understand your frustration and concern with events in and around the Downs over the last few weeks,” she told the local resident. “I would like to reassure you that ensuring the Downs remains a safe and enjoyable space for everyone to use remains one of our priorities and we are working hard to address yours and the wider resident community’s concerns.
“This remains a complex and dynamic situation where we have to balance the rights and needs of all parties and ensure that any action we take is lawful and proportionate and will also offer lasting solutions,” she added.
Bristol Commander for Neighbourhood policing, Supt Stephanie McKenna(Image: Avon and Somerset Police handout)
And she said there was a growing issue with accommodating the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community in the Bristol area, because a number of dedicated sites had shut down recently. “The issues on the Downs have recently been compounded by the fact that several dedicated permanent sites situated around the Avon and Somerset region have shut which has reduced the places available to members of the GRT community,” she explained.
“I also want to ensure we differentiate between the actions of some people residing in vehicles on the Downs onto all of those people, in the same way I would not hold whole communities responsible for the actions of some within bricks and mortar communities,” she said.
As well as the temporary group of Travellers, and the ongoing issue of van and caravan dwellers in the northern part of the Downs, last week saw an unofficial late evening car meet, with residents complaining of noise and speeding on the roads around the Downs.
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“We do have significant police resources regularly deployed to the area ranging from our specialist traffic units and mounted officers to the local beat teams who spend considerable time engaging with as many people as possible who use the Downs,” said Supt McKenna. “I understand your frustrations around the apparent ‘car meet’ that occurred over the weekend and it is challenging for police to plan for such events when they are not official or sanctioned and so our ability to put appropriate resources in place is very limited.
“Events like that are very difficult to police safely and enforce the law around without a significant amount of specialist resources and this is difficult to co-ordinate without any notice however now that we know this may become a longer term issue we can start building that into our policing plans,” she added.
Supt McKenna said the council and the police were meeting ‘regularly’ about the issue of caravan-dwellers. “We are meeting regularly with the council around their plans on how they intend to remove caravans and other temporary dwellings through legal action and also how they intend to better secure the area to prevent encampments occurring in future such as the placement of pillars on verges, etc,” she said.
“We will continue to maintain a police presence in the area and will deal with criminal offences in a proportionate manner and as quickly as possible,” she added.
Caravans and vans parked on Parry Lane on the Downs
There has been a growing number of caravan and van dwellers in Bristol, particularly since the pandemic, as the unaffordable housing crisis has grown, rents and house prices have increased, and a number of empty sites that were used by van-dwellers have been taken back for redevelopment for student accommodation and ‘build-to-rent’ apartments.
The council estimates there are around 680 people living in caravans or vans around the city, and fewer than 100 of those are on the Downs. Hours before a ‘Show of Support’ walk organised by Protect the Downs earlier this month, the man in charge of housing in Bristol, Cllr Barry Parsons, announced the council would be seeking an injunction to remove any vans or caravans parked on the grass – but this did not cover vehicles parked legally on the side of the road.