Police fail to take action against travellers racing on road
Over the Bank Holiday weekend the A33 near Micheldever was closed for the majority of Saturday and Sunday because travellers were illegally racing horses & traps over the main road.
It is now reported that the same people are planning to race along the A33 again in June – and police are unsure if they will be able to stop them.
Speaking at Micheldever Parish Council's AGM, Winchester district police inspector John Stribley said it is unknown whether officers will be able to prevent the dangerous sport.
He said:
Quote:
"We are aware that the event is planned for June 19 and 20, and this has been moved from a district concern to a force-wide issue. This means we will hopefully be better resourced.
"I don't yet know whether we will be stopping the event, this is now being dealt with at a higher level. When I have the answer, I will let you know. Of course in an ideal world I would like something in place to stop such disruption, but as I say that decision won't be made by me.
I am appalled by Hampshire Constabulary failing to act.
A few months ago travellers set up camp on a local football pitch. It was reported that a number of their vehicles were not taxed & insured. The Police did nothing.
It seems to me that this is discrimination, against non-travellers who under similar circumstances would have faced having their vehicles seized & prosecution.
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
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Never been to Appleby around the time of the Horse Fair then ? the race them through the crowds there. madness. went once when I was a kid. never again.
as for "A few months ago travellers set up camp on a local football pitch. It was reported that a number of their vehicles were not taxed & insured. The Police did nothing." ... the problem is that if you confiscate the vehicles, their owners can't* move on. not a desirable outcome.
* until they've nicked someone else's vehicle to do so. the permanent site at Little Lever (Bolton) has been raided multiple times in recent weeks and several cars recovered.
The owners could however be prosecuted and given appropriate sentences, if convicted.
To take no action is discriminatory, but there is appropriate action which can be taken.
In the case of the racing traps, confiscate, and possibly scrap them for second or subsequent offences.
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
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Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
6th May 2021 9:05 am
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23824
I’d rather that they were allowed to do this legally somewhere where it wouldn’t cause such an inconvenience.2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
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I'm sure they would be welcome provided they pay the going rate, and clear up after themselves.
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
6th May 2021 9:17 am
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23824
My thoughts exactly. Sadly very few places will host any event linked to the travelling community and they don’t tend do themselves any favours either.2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
2010 D4 HSE (A bit bling)-GONE
2014 D4 HSE (Almost too bling)-GONE
2015 D4 HSE (A heated what?)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Written Off)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Surely the last!) PD1881 rims-GONE
2017 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography (now semi-retired)
6th May 2021 9:25 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
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they'd shovel up the tarmac to use on someone's drive !
6th May 2021 11:25 am
Oxford-boy
Member Since: 07 Sep 2015
Location: Oxford
Posts: 1108
I am sad/ashamed to say as former copper that these members of the Travelling Community, or at least those that disobey the law, create nuisance and disturb local communities are untouchable in the eyes of senior politically correct/Woke personnel. They fear racism accusations and won't act with the Force level resources that are needed to combat law breaking such as that seen on the A34.
That Inspector will never be able to muster enough personnel to make a show of strength suitable that law breakers decide to move elsewhere.
There are countless examples around the Country (although many more in the south) where Policing knows events are happening and chooses to do nothing over letting the event happen and knowing it will 'go away' in a day or so.
I am not anti Gypsy, I am anti law breaking. Especially those who do so causing massive inconvenience to law abiding citizens.
This kind of thing boils my p*ss as another vocation of mine used to say about such feelings...Jim
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The A27 near Chichester is the only place I have ever seen "No racing horse-drawn vehicles" signs.
Interesting that such behaviour is more-or-less condoned by the Police but a slight mis-spacing of letters in a number-plate is an issue.
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6th May 2021 3:43 pm
gareth71
Member Since: 10 Apr 2016
Location: North-east Wales
Posts: 597
Here in North Wales, the police simply ignore the travelling community - I guess they fear what might happen if they don't. The result is that the community see themselves as above the law.
There's a legal traveller camp just outside Wrexham, on a busy route in/out of the town. Teenagers are frequently reported throwing missiles (bricks, stones, etc.) at passing cars, and are known to have disappeared into the camp if challenged. This has been going on for a very long time - and nothing is ever done, even though the source of the problem is painfully obvious. Eventually it's going to cause an accident, and someone is going to get injured or worse - whether that is enough for action to be taken remains to be seen.
Over the recent bank holiday weekend, a bunch of them set up camp in the grounds of a local secondary school. Between the police and the local authority, no-one had the balls to do anything about it other than to say "we've issued them with the paperwork telling them they have to leave" (yeah, like that's going to make a difference!). The result was that almost 2,000 secondary school students lost a whole day of teaching on Tuesday, because it was deemed unsafe to open the school while the travellers were on site. Repercussions as a result of this? Absolutely nothing.
6th May 2021 3:51 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
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Back in the day, when I worked for a living, a group of travellers pitched up a plot just down from the factory we were building. When they were told to move they tried to extort cash out of the developers saying their vans were broken down and wouldn’t start. The developer responded by turning up early in the morning with diggers and started digging a very deep trench around the plot. Suddenly the broken down vans fired into life and they moved on, to become someone else’s problem.
'Back in the day', travellers who had set up camp in a local car-park moved on after they were repeatedly woken at two am by the Police citing broken tail-lamps. The tail-lamps had been intact a few moments before...
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6th May 2021 4:09 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
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Days long gone.
6th May 2021 4:11 pm
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We had the set up camp ar my daughter’s school. They wanted £8000 to leave. The school said no and brought in a ‘specialist’ removal firm from London. All ex Eastern European special forces both men and women. left within two hours of them arriving........New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
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race them through the crowds there. madness. went once when I was a kid. never again.
