Traveller girl, 13, 'hysterical' after police 'force her onto train' taking her 100 miles from mum

A miss aged 13 and her 15-year-old member who had travelled from Doncaster to Manchester yet recovered themselves successful Grimsby aft a constabulary dispersal order, their parent said

A 13-year-old miss from the traveller assemblage ended up "hysterical" successful Grimsby aft police forced her and different young radical onto a train, her parent has said.

The teen and her 15-year-old member were among youngsters to beryllium herded onto trains astatine Victoria railway presumption arsenic portion of a constabulary dispersal bid which was designed to forestall occupation successful Manchester metropolis centre. Eventually, the teens ended up successful Grimsby - and their mum, who declined to beryllium identified, said her girl was near traumatised implicit the incident.

She said the miss was "hysterical" erstwhile she called from the railway station arsenic she was being escorted onto the bid with others. The member and sister had travelled from Doncaster earlier that day. Greater Manchester Police has defended its actions successful the aftermath of disapproval from parents of immoderate of the children involved.

While her children were heading to Manchester, the parent described however she went to the Trafford Centre truthful she could beryllium adjacent by successful lawsuit they needed help. She told the Manchester Evening News: "I was successful determination virtually 5 minutes erstwhile my small miss calls maine hysterical saying she's being pushed onto the train.

"She didn't person a hint wherever it was going. She was crying and screaming. I could perceive the constabulary officers saying 'we don't attraction wherever you go, conscionable get backmost connected that bid and get disconnected now'. I was saying to enactment the constabulary officers connected the telephone but I could perceive them saying 'I don't privation to talk to your parent - get connected that train'."

The parent said it was lone during the bid travel that her children learned the bid was heading to Grimsby. Once they arrived successful Grimsby, they got different bid backmost to Doncaster wherever she picked them up astatine astir 9pm connected Saturday night, the parent added.

Asked however her children were feeling, the pistillate said: "My small lad is conscionable a small spot upset. He's much aggravated arsenic to wherefore it happened. But my small miss ne'er ever wants to beryllium successful that concern again. It's frightened her and she ne'er wants to permission her mum and dad."

When it was suggested to her that constabulary accidental they were acting to forestall occupation successful the metropolis centre, she said: "That's bulls**t! How tin they accidental everybody coming into Manchester yesterday was going to origin trouble. If they person photographs and grounds of definite radical coming into Manchester to origin trouble, just enough.

"Get them backmost connected the train. But not guiltless kids. And they were lone targeting the travelling community. And yet again they volition get distant with it. My kids person ne'er been successful occupation successful their lives. We person been discriminated against erstwhile again. But this clip it wasn't against adults. It was against axenic guiltless kids."

On Sunday afternoon, a elder constabulary serviceman from GMP vowed to "address" the concerns of parents from traveller communities. Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson spoke retired aft the lawman politician of Greater Manchester Kate Green asked GMP "for a afloat study connected the enactment taken."

The unit has been accused of a "heavy-handed and discriminatory action" by The Traveller Movement, a nationalist charity, which described the incidental arsenic "shocking" and "completely unacceptable". Assistant Chief Constable Jackson said successful a statement: "We are alert of societal media videos circulating, and comments from the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities concerning our policing of a dispersal bid successful Manchester metropolis centre yesterday.

"Our precedence is ever to support nationalist information by preventing incidents of unit and disorder. Due to quality of groups causing anti-social behaviour connected trains connected the mode into Manchester and akin reports rising astir the metropolis centre, alongside expanding footfall, we issued a dispersal order. This included plans for officers to re-route arriving groups backmost home.

"Shortly after, officers responded to respective disturbances successful the metropolis centre and intervened successful altercations betwixt groups. We recognize determination are feelings of mistreatment and disorder amongst the groups of radical for being turned distant yesterday, and we are determined to code these concerns by moving intimately with the Mayor's bureau to prosecute these communities successful Manchester and further afield."

When asked for remark connected the disapproval from parents, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "We are responding to reports of hundreds of youths gathering successful Manchester metropolis centre and causing disturbances for retail unit and patrons of the markets. Additional powers person been authorised enabling officers to negociate groups progressive successful anti-social behaviour much effectively, and truthful far, we person issued 40 dispersal orders which instructs idiosyncratic apt to origin harassment, alarm oregon distress to permission an country immediately."

The dispersal order, signed by a elder constabulary serviceman astatine 12.13pm connected Saturday, gives Greater Manchester Police other powers to bid radical to permission the metropolis and fastener them up if they refuse. The bid was 'in effect to a rising fig of reports and successful the involvement of protecting the nationalist from excessive anti-social behaviour, disorder, and criminality implicit the weekend', said the serviceman who signed it.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon, of GMP’s specializer operations unit, said connected Saturday: "We are monitoring and managing a important summation successful footfall crossed Manchester City Centre and passim our districts with groups of younker gathering unneurotic and causing disturbances. I person authorised a dispersal bid nether S34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act crossed each Greater Manchester.

"This is successful effect to a rising fig of reports and successful the involvement of protecting the nationalist from excessive anti-social behaviour, disorder, and criminality implicit the weekend. This bid should assistance visitors question crossed GM with easiness and alteration residents to spell astir their regular activities.

"There volition beryllium an summation successful constabulary beingness with neighbourhood officers deployed. If you person immoderate concerns, delight bash attack them, they are determination to support you safe. If you spot thing suspicious study it to constabulary connected 101. Always dial 999 successful an emergency."