Bournemouth council: how we're tackling issue of unauthorised travellers camps

Although it has to manage camps that do make it onto its public land like any other council or landowner, it is a policy of security that comes first and foremost.

Andy McDonald, parks manager at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “We’ve got various sources of information about travellers movements and that includes the police and neighbouring authorities.

“We have a rough idea of where the major issues are and we have a community that lets us know quite rapidly.”

Once information is received, it is spread quickly.

Mr McDonald added: “A text goes out to all parts of the council and it is basically to lock down.

“That’s making sure gates are locked and height barriers are in place and so on. We can normally get the borough locked down within about 10 minutes. If we go into lock down then somewhere like King’s Park will be managed as to who goes in and out.

“That does work a lot of the time and we probably prevent about 50 per cent.”

It has worked to an extent this year, with council leaders saying there have been fewer incursions on public land in Bournemouth.

But, as Mr McDonald says, if a group wants to get into somewhere they usually will – particularly those who come to the area to work and carry heavy tools.

He added: “If we get to an encampment happening then it becomes a matter of management.

“Riggs Gardens (at Turbary Common, Wallisdown) is a classic case. We have to keep access for emergency services as it’s a high risk fire area.

“Most of our spaces are used by the public for community events.

“Our methods are there to slow the process down. I think we started putting in protection methods 10 years ago and we revisited our site defences in that time.

“It started with high-security gates and bunding and we’re now up to things where we have high tensions gates and barriers with shielded padlocks.

“After a group has gone we will review the security of a site.

“We have concentrated on high profile sites like Queen’s Park and King’s Park and we have learnt our lessons with the measures we have put in there.

“There are more than 1,000 hectares – 25 per cent of the borough – that is public open space and we have to defend that with 70 staff.

“It can look to the average person on the street that not much is happening because it’s a legal process. If they have left, more often than not it’s because of the process we have followed.

“The security does help with the community, because they feel we’re taking it seriously and there is some reassurance.”

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