THE Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey has welcomed government proposals to give forces greater powers to deal with illegal encampments.

The Home Office has outlined a number of draft measures, including criminalising unauthorised encampments, following a public consultation of the effectiveness of enforcement.

Announcing new plans on February 6, home secretary Sajid Javid said: “The vast majority of travellers are law-abiding citizens, but illegal sites often give an unfair, negative image of their community and cause distress and misery to those who live nearby.

“There is a widespread perception the law does not apply to travellers and that is deeply troubling.”

A further consultation is now planned on proposals to amend the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Last year, Surrey experienced an unprecedented number of incursions, with Waverley Borough Council having to deal with encampments on Central and Upper Hart car parks in Farnham.

And in 2017, a wave of incursions saw caravans descend on Weybourne, Heath End and Wrecclesham recreation grounds, Farnham Park and Dogflud Way car park.

David Munro, a former Farnham councillor, is the national leader for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on equalities, diversity and human rights, including gypsies, Roma and travellers.

Together with the National Police Chiefs’ Council he gave a joint response to the initial government consultation on issues such as police powers, community relations, working with local authorities – calling for the shortage of transit sites and lack of accommodation provision to be addressed. There are currently no transit sites in Surrey.

Mr Munro said: “I am pleased to see the government focusing on the subject of unauthorised encampments and responding to community concerns around this complex issue.

“It is absolutely right the police feel confident to enforce the law. I therefore welcome many of the government’s proposals, including extending the limit by which trespassers directed from land would be unable to return, reducing the number of vehicles needed in a camp for the police to act and amending existing powers to enable trespassers to be moved on from the highway.

“I also welcome the further consultation into making trespass a criminal offence. This potentially has widespread implications, not just for unauthorised encampments, and I believe this needs more careful consideration.

“I believe many of issues surrounding unauthorised encampments are created by the lack of accommodation provision and shortage of such sites which I have long been calling for in Surrey and elsewhere.

“So while I welcome in principle the extra flexibility for police to direct trespassers to suitable authorised sites located in neighbouring local authority areas, I am concerned this may detract from the need to open up transit sites.

“It should be recognised the unauthorised encampment issue is not just a policing one, we must work closely together with our partner agencies in the county.

“I do believe tackling the issues at source requires much better coordination by government and local authorities.

“This includes better nationally-coordinated intelligence on traveller movements and greater education among traveller and settled communities.”

A spokesperson from Travellers Times said: “We are concerned and alarmed to hear the government will be giving police more powers to evict unauthorised traveller camps.

“These are powers that even the National Police Chiefs Council said they did not want in their submission to the consultation on this last year.

“There has also been no mention yet of any provision of transit sites or other temporary stopping schemes – like negotiated stopping – to provide for mobile and homeless travellers who have nowhere else to put their caravans.”