Travellers at Osborne Park

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/25/008577/J

Version Date: 19/08/2025

The South Devon Department has provided the following information.

Devon & Cornwall Police complies with the Home Office Statutory Guidance for Police on Unauthorised Encampments (June 2022), in which it instructs police to liaise with local authorities when assessing each individual case and to rely on the evidence in each to determine the appropriate powers to use. This is the case for all local authorities with which we work, respecting the policies in place that have been consulted upon in order to meet the bespoke needs and facilities of the local area.

The police have powers under the Crime, Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (amended by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022), however some of the limitations of this legislation are that the occupier has to take reasonable steps to ask them to leave, there can be a requirement for a minimum number of vehicles to be present, there may need to be significant levels of disruption or require there to be an alternative facility within the same local authority area for us to direct the vehicles and their occupants to. The Home Office Guidance also provides considerations as to the levels of harm that would need to be present under ‘application of the guidance’. 

Local authorities retain primary responsibility for the response to unauthorised encampments. 

The DVLA has primary responsibility for enforcing matters relating to vehicle tax and insurance.

Travellers at Osborne Park,Newton Abbot,Devon.

Between the dates of 1st July 2025 and 22nd July 2025.

I would like to know;

1] How many visits have the Police made to interact with the travellers.

Please note – during the above time period there were in fact two separate Unauthorised Encampments (UEs) at Osborne Park.

A total of 11 visits were carried out to the UE which arrived on 12 July and departed by 19 July.

The most recent UE arrived on 22 July and a check was completed on that day; that UE left the site 29 July.

2] How many vehicles have been checked for holding the correct Tax and Insurance papers.

This information is not held by postcode, often only a partial location or an occuruent number is recorded. It is therefore not possible to provide accurate figures.

Please note that officers can only conduct a vehicle insurance check if they are investigating road traffic act matters, if the officers are not investigating road traffic act matters or are in a position to deal with any offences identified then they should not be conducting vehicle insurance checks.

3] How many vehicles were not Insured or Taxed correctly.

Information not held.

4] How many fines have been issued for incorrect Tax and Insurance,and for illegal parking.

Information not held.