Squatters in Bristol face jail and fines under new law
THE face of squatting in Bristol could be changed forever now a new law has come into force.
People who occupy residential properties without permission could be jailed for six months' and/or be fined up to £5,000, as it is now a criminal offence in England and Wales.
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Squatters occupied 'Telepathic Heights' in Stokes Croft
In the past, squatting was a civil matter, only attracting police intervention if criminality was suspected.
But so-called squatters' rights have been scrapped by the Government, keen to sway the balance of power towards home-owners.
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In the past two years, squatters have occupied a number of buildings in Bristol, including the house known as "Telepathic Heights" on Cheltenham Road, Clifton Wood House, 19 Berkeley Square in Clifton, 66 Queen Square, the "Red Factory" on Portland Square and the Hobgoblin on the Gloucester Road when it was awaiting refurbishment.
A police raid on Telepathic Heights in April 2011, when a squatter was planning to fire bomb the Tesco Express opposite, triggered a full-scale riot.
Peter Moore, a resident of Randall Road, Clifton, was affected by the Clifton Wood House squatters.
Of the law change, he said: "I think it's definitely a good idea to give the police more powers, but my concern is that it's going to cost the public purse to deal with squatters, especially if they end up in prison.
"If they're homeless, how are they going to be prosecuted effectively? It doesn't really address that problem.
"However, I do think it is morally wrong for people to take over a house, particularly if the landlord is trying to refurbish it."
Roger Cole, 54, pictured, has been squatting since he was 19 on and off, and he now "runs" the Emporium squat in Stokes Croft.
He told the Post: "All it's going to do is to make criminals out of people that are just needy. What kind of a civilisation is that? What kind of a country are we living in?
"Essentially, you're criminalising homelessness. You're criminalising poverty. Let me tell you, the majority of these people don't live in these conditions out of choice. They squat because otherwise they would be sleeping out on the streets, while they're surrounded by empty buildings.
"Why shouldn't we be able to make use of these buildings?"
Explaining the Avon and Somerset police stance, Chief Inspector John Holt said: "Officers will continue to use their discretion to take appropriate action based on individual circumstances. At present, there is no dedicated team to tackle squatting. Resources are allocated as and when they are needed. However, it is an ever-changing picture and policing is dynamic."
He added: "It may be that people are given warnings/cautions/fixed penalty notices or are summonsed for court. If necessary, people will be arrested at the scene. As with any incident, there are a range of options available to us."
Homeless charity Crisis fears the law change may criminalise vulnerable people, leaving them in prison or facing a fine they cannot pay.
"It also misses the point," said Leslie Morphy, the charity's chief executive. "There was already legal provision that police and councils could, and should, have used to remove individuals in the rare instances of squatting in someone's home.
"And the new law also applies to empty homes – of which there are 720,000 in England alone, including many that are dilapidated and abandoned – criminalising homeless people when they are just trying to find a place off the streets."
But taking a firm stance, Justice minister Crispin Blunt said: "For too long, squatters have had the justice system on the run and have caused homeowners untold misery in eviction, repair and clean-up costs. Not any more.
"Hard-working homeowners need and deserve a justice system where their rights come first – this new offence will ensure the police and other agencies can take quick and decisive action to deal with the misery of squatting."
Comments
by 780715JVB1
Monday, September 03 2012, 4:00PM
“Ok, to clarify my earlier comment "homeless through no fault of their own".
There are plenty of situations where homelessness is preferential to other options presented to individuals. Elsewhere in the paper today there is a call to crack down on, and expose child abuse throughout the city - this is a classic example where teens will run away and squat or sleep rough in preference to continuing to suffer at the hands of their abusers. While these children do have a "choice" (i.e. reporting abuse through official channels), I don't know how many of us would classify their situations as being "their fault?"
As a society, there are many situations where we fail to protect the vulnerable, and these are the people who tend to end up genuinely "homeless"”
by harryreg_uk
Monday, September 03 2012, 1:45PM
“Good point patcrose about travellers, trouble is they're protected (and do they know it!) under the "ethic minority" tag given to them by the EU -that's why they get away with so much.
Maybe if you could stop all/part of their benefits to pay for rent (or subsequent damage) they might stop - amazing the effect when you threaten someone's handouts!”
by katachua
Monday, September 03 2012, 1:37PM
“@patcrose
Sorry, misunderstood the double negative.”
by katachua
Monday, September 03 2012, 1:35PM
“@patcrose
"No one is "homeless through no fault of their own".
Total rowlocks! What about the girl who was called out of the Clifton squat and taken home by her mother?”
by patcrose
Monday, September 03 2012, 12:32PM
“No one is "homeless through no fault of their own".Some are kicked out by parents or partners fed up with their behaviour ,some are illegal immigrants ,others see it as preferable to getting a job and paying rent and all are taking advantage of someone else who has worked hard and invested in buying property.
Its about time the government tighted up .Now I look forward to them doing the same with travellers who break into farmers fields and public open spaces .”
by nickthompson
Monday, September 03 2012, 9:46AM
“Having now made squatting illegal, I, and many other's now hope that the government might now consider that paying thousands of building worker's benifits to stay home ,and therefore not paying tax to be a bad idea,and instead get them back to work building much needed homes for the thousands of homeless families,which in turn will prevent councils nationwide spending thousands,and thousands of pounds of our council tax on providing b&b for these people,”
by 780715JVB1
Monday, September 03 2012, 8:43AM
“Just to point something out... a lot of empty homes are empty because the legal costs involved in evicting squatters and repairing the damage done by them, outweighs the costs of whatever the landlord might make from the sale or rental of the property. What the ruling does, it makes it far cheaper and quicker to remove squatters from a premises, which will actually help get buildings back in use and prevent costly damage from happening.
While a significant number of squatters are genuinely homeless through no fault of their own there are those that have made a lifestyle choice. The other important thing about this ruling is that it sends a clear message that those who squat out of choice - are now making a choice to live a life as criminals - which should hopefully prove sufficient a deterrent to help them make a "different" choice.
What I will say is that hopefully the ruling will also shortly be accompanied by plans for improving access to council and/or affordable housing.”