The Travellers spent less that 24 hours in Bedfords Park following an operation put together by Havering Council and the Havering Park Safer Neighbourhood Team.Following the invasion by two families in the park, they settled in for the evening and eventually lit a fire on the ground, as they were trespassing, this constituted criminal damage.
This allowed Sgt Grahame Harle (the newly appointed Sergeant of Havering Park Ward) to conclude that as criminal damage had been caused, he was able to use powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, after checking with Havering Councils Legal Department, that setting a fire was indeed, criminal damage as set out in the parks by-laws.
Sgt Harle then returned to the Park, with Havering Parks Dept staff and subjected the group to a Sec 61 Criminal justice and Public Order Act1994, i.e. a requirement to leave, giving them up to 18.00hrs that day to comply.
The Travellers then decided to leave the site in the early afternoon, being there for less than 24 hours, they were last seen heading out to the Brentwood Area.
Havering Park Ward Councillor Andrew Mann said "I am very grateful to the Havering Park SNT for the work in this matter, working along side Havering Council staff they have managed to use the law to our advantage, rather than having to use the normal long winded route of going to a magistrate Court to get an eviction order"
Lets hope that the park recovers well ready for its Green Flag Inspection, later this month,
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