Government set to abolish “harshest” anti-Traveller Police Act power
17 February, 2026: The Government will push to remove one of the harshest anti-Traveller provisions of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSCA), following a Declaration of Incompatibility by the High Court, the charity Friends, Families and Travellers today revealed.
On what this means for Gypsy and Traveller communities, Friends, Families and Travellers’ (FFT) Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Abbie Kirkby said:
“Over the last 8 years, Friends, Families and Travellers has campaigned extensively against the draconian powers introduce by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
The PCSCA gave police a range of additional powers targeting encampments, including the power to ban Gypsies and Travellers from an area for up to 12 months under sections 60C, 61 and 62A of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Now, the government has tabled an amendment to its Crime and Policing Bill, which can be seen here, to convert the 12-month ban back to the original (pre-PCSCA) 3 months.
This amendment was originally campaigned on by FFT, as part of its Part 4 No More campaign, which received widespread civil society support, and follows pressure for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma during earlier stages of the Bill.
The government was forced to table the amendment following the Declaration of Incompatibility issued by the High Court, in a case brought by Wendy Smith, a Romany woman, as Claimant, with Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) and Liberty acting as Interveners.
“Now, thanks to the courageous Wendy Smith, we are witnessing a real-time scaling back of one of the most damaging elements of this legislation,” said Abbie Kirkby.
“While we have consistently opposed all of the oppressive powers, this significant reduction marks a positive step forward. We remain hopeful that the House of Lords will see the amendment, as adopted by the Government, pass.”
The amendment will be brought to the House of Lords during Report Stage of the Crime and Policing Bill, which will commence on the 25th February 2026. It is unclear if the amendment will be debated and voted on, on this date.
If successful, this amendment will remove the teeth from one of the most draconian forms of anti-Traveller legislation in decades.
FFT has staunchly campaigned since 2018 against the powers brought in by the PCSC Act 2022, joining hundreds of civil society organisations, as well as being a founding member of the Police Bill Alliance alongside Liberty, Friends of the Earth, Quakers in Britain, and Bond.
FFT Press release/TT News
(Lead image © FFT)