A couple of years ago travellers occupied a site by my house in Acton late one evening. The police soon turned up in force (a few cars, couple of vans, numerous police), blocked the entrance and wouldn't let anyone in or out until they'd had a chat with them and they agreed to leave. The whole thing lasted a few hours with the travellers and police discussing the situation quite peacefully. After about 4 hours, they all left the site in a convoy.
Yes, it took up a few hours and quite a few police and cars, but in the long run it saved money clearing up a bomb site and they've not been back since.
I remember how civilised it was and wonder why this isn't done everywhere. Maybe it was a slow night for the police? But it does show that it is possible to do something about it if they want to.
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