HOW TO MOVE TRAVELLERS ON
AN insight into how police handled the recent travelling people's encampment on public land was given to members of Forfar Community Council when they met last Thursday evening (August 19).
The meeting heard there had been numerous complaints from members of the public regarding the behaviour of those who set up camp on a strip of land belonging to the Strang's Mortification Trust on the outskirts of Forfar.
Chairman Mrs Isobel Ross said: "I have had complaints not so much about the fact they (the travellers) were there, but about the way they conducted themselves in front of the public, and particularly in front of children and nearby houses."
Inspector Peter McLennan of Tayside Police informed members there were very strict procedures the police had to follow with regard to travelling people.
He said: "It should be made clear that the police do not take the lead with regards to travelling people.
"There is a national agreement that the council take the lead initially on council owned land.
"Travelling people are subject to an awful lot of interest from various campaigners with regard to human rights, including Amnesty International. We try to be as fair as we possibly can.
"If a landowner tolerates the travellers being on their land, then we leave them to it. However, if any offending takes place while they are there then that is a different matter; we don't tolerate offending from anyone."
He spoke of the role landowners play in dealing with travellers on their land.
"It is up to the landowner to make it clear they do not wish the travelling people on their land. They are given 48 hours notice to move on which is deemed to be a fair time to allow them to pack up their bags and move on.
"If they don't heed that warning the police then notify them that we intend to give them 24 hours to move on. If they don't heed that those who ignore it can be charged, arrested, taken into custody and all their property removed from the land.
"We act very quickly when a complaint is made, but until a complaint is made we will not act. If they return to the same land within three months then we will deal with it."
Commenting on the council's handling of the camp near Gowanbank, Angus Councillor Colin Brown reminded the meeting the travellers arrived on the Friday morning, they were issued with a certificate to leave at 4 pm on the Friday afternoon, and they were away by the Sunday.
He informed the meeting a gate and fence has now been erected at the Strang's Mortification land, not to keep travellers out, but to keep people out.
"But since the gate and fence have been erected I've had people on the phone saying they are not happy because they need in to their back garden to take garden refuge away."
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Weather for Forfar
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
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