Plans unveiled by Home Secretary Sajid Javid to tackle illegal traveller sites have been called a good step in the right direct by St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double.
Yesterday the Home Secretary set out draft measures aimed at making it easier for officers to intervene and remove travellers from land they should not be on.
The Home Secretary will also consider making it a criminal offence to set up such camps. It is currently defined in law as trespassing, a civil matter.
In addition, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced it will provide local authorities with practical and financial support to handle unauthorised encampments.
Commenting, Steve said:
“I am pleased to see this announcement and this is a good step in the right direction, particularly the move to review making trespassing a criminal offence rather than a civil one
This is something I supported as it gives the police powers to quickly intervene and move on unauthorised encampments such as those we saw in St Austell and Newquay towns last year.”
“I look forward to these plans progressing and being brought into law in the future.”