Travellers request IOPC review of Greater Manchester Police response to Christmas Markets chaos

The Traveller Movement has addressed what it believes is an inadequate response from GMP to serious concerns about its officers racially profiling, using excessive force, and committing safeguarding failures during events at the markets on 23 November 2024. 

Its original complaint, submitted on 19 December 2024, alleged that GMP officers unlawfully targeted and forcibly removed Romani Gypsy, Roma, and Irish Traveller children as young as 10 years old. It further states that the Dispersal Order, which covered the entirety of Greater Manchester, was disproportionate and exceeded GMP’s powers. 

Video footage circulated online showed distressed children being forced through Manchester Victoria train station after being met by a large number of GMP officers.  

Children were seen being forced on to trains heading to unknown destinations, separated from family members, and subjected to physical aggression, including shoving, hair-pulling, and handcuffing. Several individuals reported officers making disparaging remarks about their ethnicity, such as referring to them as ‘pikeys’. Witnesses also described officers removing their badge numbers.   

The Traveller Movement says GMP breached statutory powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010, and the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Despite the allegations, the Traveller Movements has described GMP’s investigation outcome, received on 11 March 2025, as “deeply flawed” and “lacking transparency”. 

The Traveller Movement asserts that GMP’s response: 

• Fails to provide evidence to substantiate claims that young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities were travelling to Manchester with intent to commit crime or disorder. 
• Lacks justification for the use of a Section 34 Dispersal Order, including insufficient analysis of the National Decision-Making Model and no evidence that alternative measures were considered. 
• Fails to evidence compliance with the relevant safeguarding obligations when dealing with children. 
• Dismisses discrimination concerns despite an admission that GRT children were specifically targeted

GMP also highlighted in its review that a football match between Rochdale and Oldham was taking place on 23 November, and therefore an increased police presence was needed due to manage the number of people within the city centre. The Traveller Movement says this reasoning is unwarranted, as fans would be expected to travel between Oldham and Rochdale without going near Manchester city centre. The match itself was also postponed on the morning of the game and before the Dispersal Order was put in place. 

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request, dated 27 January 2025, highlighted that GMP’s justification relied on what lawyers at Leigh Day have described as “vague assertions and uncorroborated intelligence”, including references to a 2023 incident involving 300 GRT youths, which resulted in just two arrests for affray. 

The Traveller Movement is now urging the IOPC to undertake an independent review of GMP’s investigation and response. The charity is calling for: 

• Full disclosure of all evidence relied upon by GMP to justify its actions, including records of complaints, intelligence reports, impact assessments, and correspondence with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. 
• A public apology from GMP acknowledging the harm caused to GRT children and their families.  
• Mandatory safeguarding and anti-discrimination training for all officers with decision-making powers. 
• A formal inquiry into the decision-making process and appropriate sanctions for officers found to have breached legal obligations. 
• Ongoing community engagement with GRT communities to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and build trust between police and marginalised communities. 

The Traveller Movement has submitted its formal request for review to the IOPC. The charity remains committed to securing justice for the affected families and ensuring that the rights of GRT communities are protected in future policing operations. 

Pauline Melvin-Anderson OBE, Irish Traveller and Chair of the Traveller Movement said: 

“GMP’s response is a blatant attempt to justify the unjustifiable. Our children were humiliated, physically harmed, and placed in vulnerable situations because of discriminatory assumptions about their communities. GMP’s response is deeply flawed and lacks transparency. We will not rest until a full inquiry takes place.” 

Ryan Bradshaw, lawyer at law firm Leigh Day, represents the Traveller Movement and has written to the IOPC on its behalf. He said: 

“The response from GMP adds insult to injury. It glosses over critical safeguarding failures and relies on a postponed football game to justify their heavy-handed actions. Our clients are hopeful that an IOPC review will expose what they believe is the clear institutional racism that led to this appalling incident.”