Policing marginal spaces

Abstract

Community policing initiatives that aim to address diversity are increasingly required to engage with Gypsies and Travellers. In this article the policing of Gypsies and Travellers is outlined through analysis of empirical research in the south-west of England. The research shows that the police work with multiple public and private agencies to control the movement and settlement of Gypsies and Travellers, but the engagement of Gypsies and Travellers in community policing initiatives is limited. The police primarily engage with Gypsies and Travellers through enforcement practice. Gypsies and Travellers are shown here to respond to their experiences of policing in a number of ways that attempt to place them beyond the gaze of formal agencies. In conclusion the article questions the degree to which policing agencies can reach Gypsies and Travellers via community policing approaches.