the Vagrancy Act

[mercalia]

Offences people can be charged with under the Vagrancy Act include begging, which is subject to a maximum fine of £1,000, and it is a criminal offence to sleep “in any deserted or unoccupied building, or in the open air, or under a tent, or in any cart or waggon, not having any visible means of subsistence”.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... d-homeless

what do people make of this? does his apply to wild camping?

does this mean as long as you have some cash you are ok?

[landsurfer]

This 200 year old act has been the subject of much discussion on the various radio stations i listen to this morning.
Visible means of support is as simple as a home address.
Repealed in Ulster and Scotland it is used to target aggressive beggars but has been used by Police to "bully" rough sleepers with the "move on" approach in some areas.
Widely used in South Wales, the officer interviewed this morning on R4 could say they do it ... but not why they do it. He did point out that a 200 year old act could do with a refresh ...

[PH]

does this mean as long as you have some cash you are ok?

Yes

[hamish]

What I make of this is that it's time it was repealed and that we take homelessness seriously.

[whoof]

Someone, possibly you previously posted something similar about trespass laws. I read the local paper which includes articles on court appearances for feeding pigeons and have never seen anything about trespass cases. I can't see this being any different.
It took about two years of phoning 101, emailing police report it, speaking to PSOs (who said they would report it to the beat officer), contacting the council anti social behaviour team (ASBT) and writing to my MP (as the ASBT said they would respond to me and then didn't). To get a police officer to walk through an under pass where groups of young people were selling and taking drugs, illegally drinking alcohol, taking part in vandalism and criminal damage every night. This was a few hundred metres from the police station.
I will be wild camping on Friday about 40 km from the nearest police station I don't expect to see anyone, that's the reason I do it, let alone a member of the extremely stretched police force.

[Gattonero]

....and the humble cyclist may be carrying a folding knife!

[Tangled Metal]

If you're camping out as part of a hobby then intend to go home after your trip then you're hardly a vagrant. Is this is a worry for you or are you starting another pointless thread and that you really do know that the chances of anyone who posts on here is going to be caught out by this act whilst wild camping is very, very slim indeed?

BTW have I missed the political bit? Nobody seems to have blamed the tories yet!

[whoof]

I will be wild camping on Friday about 40 km from the nearest police station I don't expect to see anyone, that's the reason I do it, let alone a member of the extremely stretched police force.

I was wrong after I had just completed my packing and was finishing my coffee an early morning jogger passed by, smiled and said "good morning".
I've been waiting for the knock on the door from Devon and Cornwall constabulary ever since.

[Tangled Metal]

How long was the joggers run? If he's still out there he might not have reported you yet!

It's still coming, mark my words, you're going to get your collar pinched very soon.

[fastpedaller]

A friend of mine was watching the ladies night marathon (sorry I don't recall its title) in London a few years back (his Wife was running).... He had his dog on a lead and was sat on a bench when a couple came along and said "how long you had the dog?" and then he realised their error when they said "it must get awfully cold some nights"

[Mike Sales]

A friend of mine was watching the ladies night marathon (sorry I don't recall its title) in London a few years back (his Wife was running).... He had his dog on a lead and was sat on a bench when a couple came along and said "how long you had the dog?" and then he realised their error when they said "it must get awfully cold some nights"

I was waiting for the bus one cold day in the lobby to the library. I was reading the paper with my bag on my knee. A woman passing by darted over and dropped a pound coin into my bag. She was gone before I collected my wits enough to protest. I don't think I am very scruffy.

[whoof]

How long was the joggers run? If he's still out there he might not have reported you yet!

It's still coming, mark my words, you're going to get your collar pinched very soon.

When I am eventually caught I'm going to make a full confession and ask for all my other offences to be taken into consideration so I can clear the slate. They include, trespass, micturating (edit, I didn't write this it's changed erinating but the e being a u) in public and exposing myself in public. These all occurred at the same time when I popped into a field, behind a hedge for a wee.

[Tangled Metal]

Most of my public micturating offences occurred below the age of criminal culpability. On family beach holidays if I needed to go my mum would take me to the carpark to find the rear wheel of a suitably discrete car. Always someone else's car. Mind you, your first thought would be to blame a male dog! To be fair I'd have only been early years of primary school so doubt that classes as an offence.

On the other hand most of my vagrancy offences occurred late 20s onwards. Although you can't call me a vagrant when I am carrying my to the value of what I carried. I doubt any vagrant would have that quality of kit. You'd have to be a pr@t of a copper to arrest me when sleeping out.

[hamster]

I suspect that the key is 'not having any visible means of subsistence'
Prove you are in work and have a home and you cannot be a vagrant - it's merely recreation!

[Bmblbzzz]

What I make of this is that it's time it was repealed and that we take homelessness seriously.

Yes. And many other things.