gypsy traveller crime statistics uk

The policing bill will criminalise Gypsy and Traveller families – there is a better approach

Lecturer in Sociology, Birmingham City University

Reader in Urban Studies, University of Sheffield

Disclosure statement

Whilst completing this research, Sam received funding from The Leverhulme Trust.

Ryan Powell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Sheffield provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

Birmingham City University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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The policing bill making its way through UK parliament has sparked controversy over its draconian proposals to expand police powers and curb protests . The bill will also have a detrimental impact on Gypsy and Traveller families with the criminalisation of trespass.

In its current form, part four of the bill changes the act of trespassing from a civil to a criminal offence and introduces additional powers for police to deal with roadside camps. This means that people who live on roadside camps could face time in prison, a fine of £2,500 or have their home taken away from them. This will have profound consequences for Gypsy and Traveller groups, already some of the most marginalised communities in England and Wales.

Advocates and campaign groups have called for part four to be scrapped . The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights wrote to MPs and members of the House of Lords opposing the measures. Even the police are opposed . All argue that the main driver of unauthorised encampments is a lack of sites – people simply have no other options.

Since the 1960s, Gypsies and Travellers have been subjected to legislation aimed at controlling or eradicating nomadism and pushing the community into bricks-and-mortar housing. Yet no government has ever gone as far as the policing bill in so explicitly seeking to make nomadic practices illegal. It marks a pivotal moment in the longer-term erosion of the Gypsy-Traveller right to nomadism .

The criminalisation of trespass will affect several “unfixed” groups, such as squatters, activists and rough sleepers. However, our research shows that this bill explicitly targets Gypsies and Travellers using racist stereotypes. We analysed the government’s consultation process, which has been used as evidence in parliamentary debates to support the criminalisation of trespass.

The consultation frames Gypsies and Travellers themselves as the problem from the outset. Encampments are equated with stereotypes of crime and antisocial behaviour. As well as leading respondents through assumption loaded questions, the consultation selectively prioritises racist responses from anonymous individuals. More informed submissions from the police, charities and those engaged daily with Gypsies and Travellers are largely ignored.

Gypsies and Travellers are presented primarily as a threat to property that trumps any right to travel. There is no consideration of the reality of decades of underprovision of sites driving unauthorised encampments, nor of anti-Gypsy and Traveller racism as a key barrier to new site development. Tellingly, the consultation response states that criminalisation could be “positive in the long term” by dissuading people from “choosing a travelling lifestyle, to the benefit of children”.

A better solution

Criminalisation makes little sense. It will invariably lead to increased conflict, vilification, homelessness and costly eviction procedures. But there is a proven and cost-effective alternative that can foster a better relationship between nomadic Gypsies and Travellers and their temporary neighbours.

“Negotiated stopping” involves an agreement between roadside families, neighbours and the local authority around acceptable use of a space and length of stay (usually around 28 days). In return, the local authority provides the same infrastructure they would for any citizens, such as sewerage (portaloos), wheelie bins and water access where possible.

The approach was pioneered in Leeds by Gypsy and Traveller organisation Leeds Gate . It is producing estimated savings of around £200,000 per year for the local authority and police force combined. Similar initiatives are being developed by Gypsy and Traveller groups and local authorities in London and other parts of the UK.

In avoiding costly and confrontational evictions, this approach has seen relations with police, local authorities and neighbours improve. Providing basic amenities eases tension around encampments related to rubbish and waste, which make up the vast majority of complaints. Meanwhile, families can stay put for long enough to access education, healthcare and work, directly improving their quality of life. These are not radical suggestions, nor are they costly to implement.

Criminalising trespass will only reinforce longstanding stereotypes of Gypsies and Travellers as threatening “outsiders”. Negotiated stopping offers a far more effective, inclusive and less burdensome response than costly eviction-first approaches.

A 2019 high court ruling against eviction injunctions stated, “simply pushing families out of one area into another is not a solution”. As Leeds Gate argues, the government needs to acknowledge that families have the right to travel, evictions are harmful and far better solutions are already delivering results.

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• Gypsies, Roma and Travellers
• Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
• Policing bill

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ONS - Gypsies’ and Travellers’ lived experiences, England and Wales: 2022

Statistical bulletin, 7 december 2022, gypsies’ and travellers’ lived experiences, england and wales: 2022.

This is the first time the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has undertaken in-depth, qualitative research into the experiences, priorities and needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities in England and Wales. Today’s research was delivered in collaboration with Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group.

This analysis is based on the accounts of over 50 community members from England and Wales who participated in life history interviews and/or one of 5 focus group discussions between December 2021 and April 2022. These were analysed to identify themes and patterns relating to people’s life experiences, focusing on areas such as homes, education, health and justice.

Commenting on the research, Dawn Snape from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said:

“This is the first time we have been able to gather such candid insights into the views and experiences of Gypsy and Traveller communities. What comes across most clearly is how discriminated against people from these communities feel across every aspect of life, from experiences with education and healthcare, to where they live and interactions with the police. Many participants spoke of how damaging stereotypes were and of their desire to be accepted for who they are, and for their culture and values to be respected.”

Key findings

• Participants’ stories suggest differences in their desire to live a nomadic lifestyle today and the personal value it has to them. This can be shaped by their individual circumstances.
• Some Gypsies and Travellers felt that legislation in England and Wales makes it challenging to live nomadically in practice.
• The importance of close-knit family and social groups and of shared moral values was described by participants as fundamental to Gypsy and Traveller culture, communities and wellbeing.
• Participants recognised changes, some noting widening disparities between individuals and groups and between generations. This left some with a sense of uprootedness and loss of belonging while others saw new opportunities and embraced changing ideas in relation to education, housing, healthcare, and employment.
• Participants recurrently expressed a desire to be recognised as individuals, not on the basis of preconceived ideas about their ethnic group. 
• Participants’ living situations varied greatly, from houses or flats (often referred to as bricks and mortar), to chalets on private land. Many lived on sites owned and managed by the local authority. 
• Some participants continued to live a mostly nomadic lifestyle, stopping at transit sites or on the side of the road where they could. This was described as increasingly difficult due to the lack of authorised stopping places, the apprehension of being moved on by police if they stop elsewhere, and fears of prosecution.
• Regardless of accommodation needs and preferences, common to all participants was the desire to live somewhere they felt safe, with access to basic amenities like water, showers, and electricity. Living near to loved ones was also described as a priority, as was feeling they have a degree of choice over where and how they live. 
• Delayed healthcare seeking and barriers to accessing healthcare could create vulnerability to negative health outcomes among Gypsies and Travellers. Participants believed environmental factors such as site locations and standards, and occupational hazards negatively impacted their own and others’ health. Perceived discrimination and derogatory attitudes of health care providers were also described by those who had accessed health services.
• Access to education ranged from some who had never been to school to others who had completed compulsory education or gained higher level qualifications. Some spoke of enjoying their education, but others described challenges, including perceived discriminatory behaviour from other students and teachers. A lack of flexibility in the education system and aspects of the curriculum, seen as contradictory to Gypsy and Traveller values, were given as reasons for withdrawing their children from mainstream education.  
• Participants described barriers to employment, including related to formal qualifications, skills or education, and perceived discrimination from employers, colleagues and the settled community. They also spoke of facing difficulties in re-skilling from occupations seen as traditional among Gypsies and Travellers to new types of work. The introduction of new licencing requirements, such as the need for a license to sell and collect scrap metal (Scrap Metal Act 2013) were said to create barriers to employment in traditional occupations.
• Participants described fearing authorities, feeling misunderstood and unfairly treated, linked to their own and others’ experiences. This included fear of the police and perception that the police are untrustworthy, which made participants reluctant to report crime or seek help from the police. Positive initiatives, such as more familiar relationships with community liaison officers were also cited.
• Some laws were viewed as criminalising Gypsies’ and Travellers’ ways of life, such as collecting scrap metal or their ownership or horses. This added to a sense of marginalisation and injustice.
• Understanding, awareness, respect and involvement of Gypsies and Travellers within systems and processes affecting their lives were seen as important for improving relationships and prospects for the future.

Read more here  

• Today’s analysis comes following a recommendation last year by the Inclusive Data Taskforce, a group of independent experts, on how to ensure that everyone counts and is counted in UK data and evidence. They placed particular emphasis on understanding more about the views and circumstances of those currently under-represented in UK data.
• The experiences of Roma people should be the focus of separate research as their priorities and the issues affecting them are perceived to be different to those of Gypsy and Traveller communities. For this reason, this study only included participants identifying as of Gypsy or Traveller ethnicity.  There was diversity in how participants described their relationships with others from non-travelling communities.

Vital ONS data on COVID-19

Details of all of the statistics and analysis the ONS is producing on the prevalence and impact of COVID-19 and the UK’s vaccine rollout can be found at  ONS.gov.uk/coronavirus

Please note the ONS publishes market sensitive releases at 07:00. Other statistics are released at 09:30 unless specified.

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Gypsies and Travellers in England and Wales: lived experiences

Qualitative research into the lived experiences of Gypsy and Traveller communities across England and Wales. Detailed exploration of cultural identity and experiences both generally and with regards to key policy themes such as homes, health, education and employment, and justice.

Applies to England and Wales

https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/gypsiesandtravellersinenglandandwaleslivedexperiences

Official statistics are produced impartially and free from political influence.

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Our traditions, way of life and culture are under threat, Gypsy leader warns Patel

Letter says Appleby horse fair will be criminalised under terms of new police bill

The Appleby horse fair is among Britain’s oldest and most colourful traditions. But this celebration in Cumbria and other Gypsy cultural events will be criminalised under new legislation planned by Priti Patel , Gypsy leaders have warned.

The market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland is transformed every summer by the annual gathering of members of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community, with thousands of tourists flocking to watch horses being washed in the River Eden and to buy traditional Gypsy goods.

Yet Billy Welch, one of the fair’s organisers, has warned the home secretary the Appleby event is threatened by measures in the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill , which is coming before MPs this week.

Welch, who is the shera rom or Gypsy spokesman, told Patel that members of the GRT community were anxious because the legislation was reminiscent of laws passed during prewar Germany.

The bill would mean police could confiscate their homes if they did not immediately move on if local people complained, he said, yet there is a substantial shortage of approved sites, which means Gypsies have nowhere legal to stop.

Thousands of Gypsies from the Sinti and Romany communities make traditional migrations lasting 10 days to Appleby, stopping by the side of the road because there are not enough approved sites, Welch said.

“We have been here for centuries. We are British – our grandfathers and fathers fought in the last two world wars. They sacrificed their lives to defend this country. We are not society’s rejects, just to be treated like this by this government.”

He said the fair showed that the persistent prejudice about Gypsies and crime was a myth. “The crime rate actually goes down,” he said. “About 70% of the people that come are from the settled community and there are about 40,000 people there.”

In a letter to Patel, Welch wrote: “The bill as it stands creates a new criminal offence. A person who does not immediately leave a piece of public or private land when asked to do so (based only on ‘reasonable suspicion’ that they have, or will, cause damage, disturbance or disruption) may be arrested, fined, and imprisoned and have their vehicles confiscated.

“Although the bill makes no reference to ethnicity, this provision will in effect make criminals of law-abiding Gypsies and Travellers as well as homeless people and ‘wild-campers’ who live in vans, because the offence is in refusing to leave, which requires no evidence of antisocial behaviour, but merely suspicion that it is likely.”

He said there was widespread prejudice against Gypsies and Travellers , which would be encouraged by the bill. “The bill underestimates the extent and the power of casual racism, experienced by Gypsies and Travellers,” he wrote.

“The people I represent are anxious about these proposals and with good reason. They appear to be reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and the start of the process of ethnic cleansing in which Gypsies were forced off the road by fines and imprisonment.

“Their horses and vehicles were confiscated, which eventually led to them being sent to death camps or murdered on the side of the road. There are still many Gypsies alive who lost their families in that Holocaust, and they have not forgotten – this is how it began.”

In July 1926, during the Weimar republic, the Bavarian parliament passed a law for “Combating Gypsies, Vagrants and the Workshy”, according to The Holocaust: Roots, History and Aftermath by Holocaust historian David Crowe.

The law required Roma and Sinti to obtain a special annual travel permit to enter the region. Children were banned from travelling with their parents without proof that arrangements had been made for schooling and “itinerants” were banned from travelling in groups.

Police were able to arrest Gypsies if they could not provide evidence of regular work and, without going to court, send them to a workhouse.

The law was adopted elsewhere in prewar Germany and formed the basis of further Nazi persecution, which led to the killing of 500,000 Gypsies in concentration camps and death camps.

“Of course, I am not suggesting in any way that is your intention,” Welch wrote, “but these are sensitive matters and the power of arrest and confiscation with no evidence of wrongdoing is deeply worrying.” Lee Anderson, the Tory MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, claimed during last month’s Commons debate on the new bill that people from Gypsy encampments were thieves who did not follow Gypsy traditions.

Police, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and the human rights group Liberty have all raised concerns about the provisions in the bill.

Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies, said in March that any new policy on unauthorised encampments must be “very careful in terms of its impact” on GRT communities, and spoke of the Jewish community’s shared history with Gypsy and Romany people.

Liberty’s analysis of the bill said it was “a direct attack on the way of life” of GRT communities. Police may impound vehicles during criminal proceedings – some trials are now delayed by more than two years – which means families would be made homeless, the group said.

In 2019, the group Friends, Families and Travellers asked 45 police forces and 40 police and crime commissioners about the government’s consultation that preceded the bill. Three quarters said police did not need any new powers and 84% did not support the criminalisation of unauthorised encampments.

The Home Office did not dispute Welch’s description of the bill, but said it had engaged with GRT representatives through a round table in May 2019, and at regular liaison meetings between the government and GRT members.

A spokesperson said: “The vast majority of Travellers are law abiding, and we recognise their right to follow a nomadic way of life in line with their cultural heritage.

“Unauthorised encampments reflect badly on the law-abiding Traveller community – they can cause misery to those who live nearby, with communities impacted by problems such as being unable to access or use their land, and excessive noise and littering.

“It’s therefore right we are giving the police the powers they need to address this issue and the government will continue its work to provide more authorised sites for Travellers to reside on. We expect police to treat all communities with respect and enforcement decisions will absolutely not be made on the basis of ethnicity or race.”

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The Myth of “Gypsy Criminality”

The Myth of "Gypsy criminality". Five lies you’ve been told about Romani people - writes Jonathan Lee

Have you heard of the biggest organised crime ring in the world? No, not the bankers. More underground. Bigger than the Italian or Russian Mafias, more close-knit than the Triads, more dangerous than the Mexican cartels. According to the tabloids the Roma, Europe’s most marginalised and impoverished ethnic minority, are in fact a sophisticated network of thieves, traffickers, and con-artists. It is a lie peddled by the factually lazy that Romani people are fundamentally criminal by nature. The facts just don’t add up however, and there is no evidence of higher rates of criminality amongst Romani communities than amongst any other.

1) Romani begging rings exploit your generosity to earn loads of money.

Did you hear the one about the Roma begging syndicate? Romani people supposedly coordinate a begging racket which spans the entire European continent and brings in thousands - no - millions of euros to fund lavish lifestyles in Eastern Europe.

Poor people living in close knit families and communities certainly share their wealth amongst themselves to a greater degree than rich people do. But begging is not a lucrative trade, no matter what the Daily Mail tells you. Begging Romani families may earn more as a group, but they don’t earn enough to get themselves out of desperate poverty.

2) Gypsies will steal your children.

One of the most pernicious myths about Romani people is that they are predisposed to periodically stealing children from white people. But there is no evidence of this ever actually happening. In fact throughout history and into the modern day it has usually gone the other way around, with Romani children being taken away from their families by the state to try and erase their ethnic identity through assimilation. A European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) report from 2018 shows that Romani and Traveller children in England are three times more likely to be taken from their families and put into care than any other child. The same happens in Hungary, where the ERRC found that Roma account for 80% of all children in state care in one county, despite only representing 20% of the local population.

Yet it is the completely unfounded myth of the ‘Gypsy child snatcher’ that still sparks mob violence and witch-hunts across our continent. In Italy, Roma were driven from an area of Naples in 2008 by an angry mob using molotov cocktails after rumours circulated they had stolen a six-month-old baby. In 2010, British tabloids reported that Roma may have stolen Madeleine McCann in Portugal. In 2013, a blond, fair-skinned blue-eyed Romani child in Greece was assumed to have been kidnapped by Roma and her guardians were arrested. The Romani couple were only released after DNA tests proved that the child, known to the world’s papers as Maria the ‘blond angel’, was not in fact an abductee. The little girl was still taken into state care though, as were five of her siblings .

The real damage was done by the media however, and fake cases of Gypsy child snatching popped up all over Europe. Shortly after the Maria case a little girl and a little boy were taken away from their families in Ireland for DNA testing amidst fear that they had been snatched by Roma. More recently, attacks on Romani communities erupted in Paris this year after rumours of Roma in white vans stealing children circulated on social media.

3) Romani people are aggressive and commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime .

This is a favourite of keyboard racists who often recount a time when a Romani person was involved in a violent altercation with them, or someone they know, or someone they heard about once down the pub. From Bulgaria to Bristol , stories abound of Romani and Traveller people brutally attacking members of the public, invariably in headlines splashed across tabloid papers. Whatever the incident, it is usually reported alongside calls to curb ‘out-of-control Gypsy crime’. Often incidents of individual violence are the preface to mob violence and collective punishment against entire Romani communities.

Romani and Traveller people are sometimes violent, but no more or less so than any other type of people. There is a tendency, reinforced by biased reporting, to see Romani people as criminals rather than victims. A 2018 UK report found that this attitude is just as prevalent amongst the police. The report found officers in 43 different police forces were more likely to presume that Romani and Traveller people were perpetrators than victims. This results in disproportionate policing of these communities, including stop and searches.

4) Roma are disproportionately involved in human trafficking.

In 2010, the Met Police claimed that 1,000 Romani children were being trafficked and forced to commit street crime by Roma in the UK. They carried out a £150 million operation and arrested 126 Roma, of which 12 were charged with unrelated offences. The so-called ‘trafficked’ children were found to be travelling with their parents, none of whom were prosecuted for trafficking. The implication, according to the Traveller Movement , was that Roma in general are involved to a greater degree in human trafficking. This is what hit the headlines. Not only will Roma steal your children, they’ll sell them too.

Roma are in fact much more likely to be trafficked themselves than they are to be traffickers.The ERRC and People in Need (PiN) carried out the only known multi country research on trafficking in Romani communities in 2011. They found that Roma are significantly overrepresented amongst trafficked people. The organisations estimated that Roma represent 50-80% of trafficked persons in Bulgaria, up to 70% in parts of the Czech Republic, at least 40% in Hungary, around 50% in Romania and at least 60% in Slovakia.

5) Romani people will cheat, scam, or defraud you rather than do an honest day’s work.

Few Romani people work nine to five jobs. Many of them, particularly in the UK, are self-employed and do jobs which lend themselves to mobility. Historically this meant they could always find work even if they were forced to relocate to a new area, doing jobs such as metalwork, farriery, farm labour, entertainment, and horse trading. Nowadays, most Romani and Traveller people do not live a travelling lifestyle but still have occupations which lend themselves to one (e.g. collecting scrap metal, tarmacking, roofing, sales).The perceived unaccountability of self-employed tradesmen, especially nomadic ones, has led to many people being suspicious of them as cheats and tricksters. But a Romani or Traveller person is no more likely to scam people than any other person. Most work ordinary jobs, just trying to get by like anyone else. Unlike other self employed people however, they have to contend with distrust and hostility from the general public, and often have to hide their ethnicity as part of their day-to-day work.

Elsewhere in Europe, Romani communities living in abject poverty are also treated as scammers and scroungers. These Roma who have been systematically failed over generations by racist institutions have little opportunity to work at all, other than small scale recycling of metals and plastics. It is these people who have really been cheated. Some of the poorest people in Europe are Roma who have been unemployed for several generations and who are able to claim only a small amount of social welfare. Usually this does not provide enough money for a proper home, enough food, or equal access to public services. These poorest of Roma are the true victims of the criminality of European society. A society which illegally bulldozes Romani homes, sends police raids to brutalise Romani families, and segregates Romani children in school. The biggest lie of all is the one that tells us that European society suffers from the criminality of Romani people. In fact it is the other way around. It is the Roma who have been scammed, defrauded of their basic human rights as European citizens in a society which systematically marginalises them from birth to the grave.

By Jonathan Lee