GMP told 'lessons must be learned' over treatment of Travellers turned away from Manchester

A mayoral review of Greater Manchester Police's controversial use of a dispersal order which saw hundreds of people from Traveller communities including many children turned away from the city centre has found there are 'lessons to be learned'.

The force enforced the order - covering the whole of the city centre - 'following reports of trouble among people heading into town' on Saturday, November 23. Video was widely shared on social media, with clips showing officers turning people away, among them children from Traveller communities. People were ushered onto trains heading out of town at Victoria station.

GMP has defended its decision to issue a 'dispersal order', which gives officers powers to force people to leave a defined goegraphic area or be arrested if they refuse. The force said it signed the order following reports groups were causing trouble on trains on their way into Manchester.

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GMP was accused of a 'heavy-handed and discriminatory action' by a charity which said traveller children were stopped from attending the Christmas markets and 'forced' back onto trains out of the city. The Traveller Movement said it was 'shocking' and 'completely unacceptable'.

The incident prompted Travellers to march through Manchester city centre in protest, led by Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and Celebrity Big Brother star Paddy Doherty and Tommy Joyce, a well-known face among Greater Manchester's Traveller communities.

After the force delivered its report to Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor Kate Green, Ms Green said she understood the 'rationale' behind the force's decison-making.

But she said 'there are lessons to be