Met Police apologises after homeless tents destroyed

The Metropolitan Police has apologised to a man after homeless people's tents were destroyed in central London.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley admitted that officers acted unlawfully when issuing a dispersal order and some tents were thrown into bin lorries.

It happened on 10 November on Huntley Street, Camden.

Anthony Sinclair, who was arrested at the site, said: "I hope that no-one in the future receives the treatment that I did."

He was sent an apology letter on behalf of Sir Mark on Tuesday.

• Homeless tents destroyed during police operation

It said the force accepted that its "decisions were unlawful" when it authorised an S35 dispersal order outside the University College London Hospital (UCLH) site and issued directions requiring people living in the tents to leave the area.

The letter added: "It is accepted that the steps taken by the commissioner's officers to address this were in this instance not lawful and that alternatives should have been pursued.

"This should not, however, detract from the concerns raised by UCLH, which related to the safety of its staff and of its patients."

Officers were seen talking to people inside before the tents were taken away

Mr Sinclair was arrested when he refused to leave, and while he was being held in custody, his belongings, including his tent, mattress and toiletries, were disposed of by the council.

He threatened legal action against the force on the grounds that dispersal orders should not prevent people from accessing the place where they live - in this case, the tent where he had been living for eight months.

Mr Sinclair said: "The treatment that I and others received at the hands of police officers was inhumane," adding that he was glad to see the police admit their actions were wrong.

Ch Sup Andy Carter, who is responsible for policing in Camden, said: "We don't underestimate the impact of this incident on the man and will be meeting him to apologise in person, and listen to any views he might have.

"My officers will be taking part in further legal training around use of their dispersal powers so that we can ensure this does not happen again and that we use this tactic responsibly."

Barriers were placed along the side of the building after the homeless people were instructed to leave

Lana Adamou, a lawyer at Liberty, said: "This sends a clear message that dispersal orders should not be used against people living on the streets in this way.

"We're glad to see the police admit that their officers should not have treated our client or the other people affected in this way and that our client's rights were breached, and we welcome the commissioner's apology."

A spokesperson for UCLH said: "We are committed to learning from these events to ensure we better support those living in tents outside our hospitals.

"We are continuing to work with our partners and we are providing welfare checks and access to specialist outreach workers."

Camden Council, whose waste contractors removed the tents, said in a statement: "What happened on 10th November was unacceptable and shouldn't have happened.

"Where possible, we have been in contact with those who were moved on from the UCH site to offer them our full range of support and accommodation.

"We would encourage anyone we haven't spoken to yet to get in touch."

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