I WRITE regarding Jane Kelly’s response to my letter (Echo, August 27).

Firstly, travellers camp at the bottom of my garden every summer, so I am well aware of the issues.

As previously discussed, without a temporary traveller site, the law on unlawful encampments contains limited powers for police enforcement which can only be applied in exceptional circumstances and which must balance the rights of the settled community and travellers.

Primary responsibility for managing unauthorised encampments lies with the landowner, in this case the council, who must use the civil remedies available to them.

In 2014, I called the three top-tier councils together to try and find a solution to this annual problem. Both Dorset County Council and the Borough of Poole embraced the challenge, and we saw the new Piddlehinton site remove most traveller issues in the rural county in a few months. Poole fell at the final hurdle when the Creekmoor site was refused planning permission but at least they tried.

Bournemouth did nothing but continue to apply its “lockdown” ethos.

Interestingly, as funding has reduced, the lockdown has not been so stringently enforced so this year, for the first time, we see Bournemouth politicians blaming the police for their own failings.

If Bournemouth Borough Council were to provide an appropriate site for gypsies and travellers, Dorset Police could use more stringent powers under S62A of the Act to direct people to that approved site within the same local authority area.

For two years, I have lobbied government to force Local Authorities like Bournemouth to find a site, by law. A legal obligation to find a site would remove this issue overnight.

It is a lack of political will by Bournemouth politicians to deal with this issue that lies at the heart of this, not failures by the police.

Interestingly, although it was not drawn to public attention, Dorset Police enforced Section 61 on an unauthorised encampment in Redhill, at the same time as the Muscliff issue, proving they do use the power when appropriate.

I would urge Cllrs Smith and Kelly to use their influence to encourage Bournemouth Council colleagues to establish a travellers site within the borough and thereby avoid this problem next year.

Martyn Underhill

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner

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