Tuesday 11 June 2013

Darlington police chief's 'talk to us' plea over Gypsy tensions - County Durham

From the Advertiser

DARLINGTON’S most senior police officer has issued a ‘talk to us’ plea to people concerned about tensions between the Traveller and settled communities.


The town has become something of a hot-spot for anti-Gypsy sentiments, with stories about last month’s Traveller meet-up attracting dozens of comments on The Northern Echo website.

Chief Superintendent Graham Hall, who took over as neighbourhood commander for Darlington earlier this year, said officers worked hard to ward off any potential flashpoints during the gathering.

The four-day gathering led to criticism of the police and Darlington Borough Council, although it was held legitimately and on private land.

Mr Hall said there was just one minor disturbance during the event, which is understood to have involved individuals from different Traveller families.

He said: “This was dealt with immediately and did not result in any arrests or further disorder.

“We were aware there was a meeting taking place and as a result of history with that particular community, we had officers who attended the event to ensure that there was minimum disruption to the local community and highway and in the event of any disorder, we would be in a position to deal with it as quickly as possible.”

Council leader Bill Dixon has played down suggestions of heightened tensions between the two communities and rejected claims the local authority was ‘scared’ of Gypsies.

One consequence of the gathering that made news was the closure of the A66 Darlington bypass for a morning due to excess mud on the road, coupled with heavy rain.

Mr Hall said there was ‘minimal disruption’ to traffic.

He added: “We understand that there are concerns about the gathering.

“I want people to outline what concerns they have, what it is they are unhappy about and I would encourage people to come forward and talk to us about any issues.

“This was a meeting of a particular community, which they were entitled to hold.

“If there is that level of concerns, we need to know, so we can address them and address them with the travelling community.

“People have to live and work together and we need to promote community cohesion.”

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