BLACK PEOPLE who sleep rough on the streets are more likely to be targeted by the police and placed under arrest, new data has revealed. 

A total of 35 police forces in England and Wales were found to arrest up to 8 percent of Black people under the Vagrancy Act, according to a Freedom of Information Request filed by the tenants’ advocacy organisation Generation Rent.

There were around 4,200 arrests made between 2018 and 2022. Of these 3,274 were White rough sleepers, which form  78% of the total, compared to a White British population of 82%. The figures revealed that 327rough sleepers, 8% of the total, were Black.

According to OpenDemocracy’s reporting, this figure means that the number of Black people imprisoned for rough sleeping is double the percentage of the overall Black British population.

It news comes months after former Home Secretary Suella Braverman pledged to crackdown on rough sleepers pitching tents in urban areas and labelled being homeless as “a lifestyle choice”.

Braverman, an ex-criminal barrister, who is reportedly worth up to £5m was heavily criticised by homeless charities for her tone-deaf comments. 

The arrests are being made under the 1824 Vagrancy Act which criminalises rough sleeping and was made legal to deal with the amount of ex-servicemen without a permanent residence after returning from the Napoleonic Wars.

In February 2021, the government set out plans to shake up the legislation that it described as “antiquated and no longer fit for purpose”.

Risk

However, criticism from MPs means the law could be replaced under the proposed Criminal Justice Bill which campaigners say could leave homeless people even more at risk. 

Museum of Homelessness, a grassroots advocacy group, told OpenDemocracy that “racism is baked into how homeless people are treated in the UK”.

Speaking to OpenDemocracy, Ben Twomey – chief executive of Generation Rent – said: “Any continued use of this pre-Victorian law to criminalise people who are already suffering on our streets shames our country, and to see it used in a discriminatory way shows even more clearly that it needs to go.

“The Vagrancy Act turns 200 years old this coming year, and we call on the government to end this cruelty. It is vital that any new laws do not simply re-introduce the criminalisation of homelessness and that the government focus instead on measures to end homelessness.”

“We know that the government is bringing in pernicious legislation to replace the Vagrancy Act which, based on their policy record will no doubt make the situation worse,” Museum of Homelessness co-founder Jess Turtle told openDemocracy. “We are seeing increased harassment on the streets and this is indicative of a broader arc of crackdowns, cuts and criminalisation of poverty.”

“This is not the answer and nor is institutional racism. We call on all homelessness charities, outreach teams and grassroots organisations to step in and challenge racism when they encounter it on the streets or in homelessness settings. It has to end here.”