Met Police apologise for ‘inhumane’ treatment of Bloomsbury rough sleepers
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
After a two-month-long inquiry, the Metropolitan Police has issued an official apology for the destruction of tents belonging to a homeless community in the Bloomsbury area. The controversy took place on 10th November last year outside an NHS building on Huntley Street, just around the corner from the UCL main campus.
Reports suggest that at least ten tents were cleared from the area by refuse workers, destroying valuable possessions (such as passports) in the process. The encampment had formed alongside the hospital wall over several months, most likely because of its relatively secluded location and the roof overhang providing shelter. A hospital spokesperson justified the actions by suggesting the tents posed a ‘public health’ hazard.
A video shared by grassroots group Streets Kitchen circulated on social media the same day, calling out this Camden Council operation as ‘disgusting’. The post racked up an impressive 8.7 million views and caused public outcry, with many blaming ex-home secretary Suella Braverman’s harmful claims that homelessness is a ‘lifestyle choice’.
One man affected was Antony Sinclair, who was arrested for refusing to leave the area. All his possessions were then disposed of while he was held in custody. Sinclair’s story attracted much attention, including the support of human rights organisation Liberty. The group filed a legal challenge under the Human Rights Act against the Met Police on behalf of Sinclair.
It has now been reported that Sir Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Met Police, has sent a personal letter of apology to Sinclair, admitting the actions were ‘not lawful’. The BBC revealed that the Chief Superintendent of the Camden police department would be meeting Sinclair to make amendments in person soon as well. In response, Liberty released a statement on January 17th in which Sinclair branded the police officers as ‘inhumane’ but was also ‘glad’ to have received an apology. He hoped that this indicated that ‘no-one in the future receives the treatment that I did.’
Unfortunately, these events have not completely deterred the cruel treatment of homeless people. Another viral video, posted by ‘X’ user Damon Evan on December 9th 2023, exposed a McDonald’s employee soaking a man whilst he was asleep on the pavement with a mop bucket. Crisis also reported on the 19th December 2023 the concerning statistic that 90% of homeless people have experienced violence or abuse, in most cases at the hands of a ‘passer-by’.
Elodie Berland, the Streets Kitchen volunteer who witnessed and recorded the Huntley Street dispersal, also acknowledged that it was not an ‘isolated incident’. She said, ‘This is sadly something that we witness regularly.’ Whilst the recent Metropolitan Police apology is a step towards combatting poor treatment of London’s homeless community, it seems the problem still requires much more extensive shifts in public opinion and understanding.