Claims Cambridgeshire Traveller sites are 'no go' areas for police

From Cambridge News

A crime panel has highlighted claims that Travellers’ sites in Cambridgeshire are police ‘no-go’ areas.

Members of the panel, which scrutinises the work of the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Graham Bright, raised the issue at a meeting of the group.

They believe the public feel there is one rule for Travellers and another for residents and that the police were reluctant to enter Traveller sites.

Cllr Gavin Elsey, a member of the panel and a city councillor in Peterborough, said: “I think that members were talking about people’s perceptions that they believed there was a two tier system when it came to policing and that if residents committed a criminal action they would be punished but that when it came to Travellers committing the same offence that didn’t happen.

“The feeling is among some residents that there is one law for them and another for the travelling community and they wanted the law to be fair on everyone.”

The panel was scrutinising the commissioner’s draft police and crime plan for 2013/16 and asked why he had not looked into the issue.

Minutes of the meeting which was held in March, have now been published.

They said: “Issues concerning Gypsies and Traveller communities not mentioned such as ‘no go’ areas for the police.”

Cllr Lynda Harford, who represents Cottenham with its large community of Travellers in Smithy Fen, is a South Cambridgeshire district councillor.

She said: “I can’t account for the public perception of ‘no go’ areas and can only talk about my own experiences. Those are that in recent months I have been up to Smithy Fen with the PCSO to address some minor issues with the people living there and Sgt Paul Rogerson and his team are very good and have always been willing to go to the site.

The commissioner’s response to the issue said he would “not accept the conception of ‘no go’ areas for the police”.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman echoed Sir Graham.

He said: “There are no ‘no-go’ areas in Cambridgeshire.”