Squatters forced out of two Southend flats (From Echo)
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Squatters forced out of two Southend flats
11:40am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News
SQUATTERS have been forced out of two flats as police make the most of new legislation.
They swooped on the addresses in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, and Sutton Road, Southend, after teenagers forced vulnerable residents out of the properties and took them over.
Both addresses had been linked to drug abuse.
The raids were conducted yesterday off the back of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act which brought in earlier this month to make squatting a criminal offence.
No arrests were made, but both properties were secured with robust steel security doors by South Essex Homes.
Comments(3)
exBillericayDicky
says...
1:22pm Thu 27 Sep 12
fletch12107 wrote:IANAL, but is probably due to the comencement date of the squatting. If before the change in legislation, CPS may have felt they didn't have a strong enough case.
Whilst I welcome the squatters being kicked out if it is now a criminal act why were they not arrested?
Nebs
says...
1:57pm Thu 27 Sep 12
exBillericayDicky wrote:Pointless arresting anyone these days, just send them home and tell them not to do it again because that is all the magistrates will do.
fletch12107 wrote:IANAL, but is probably due to the comencement date of the squatting. If before the change in legislation, CPS may have felt they didn't have a strong enough case.
Whilst I welcome the squatters being kicked out if it is now a criminal act why were they not arrested?
fletch12107 says...
12:44pm Thu 27 Sep 12