Ofcom investigates Channel 4's The Truth About Traveller Crime

Channel 4’s controversial documentary Dispatches: Truth About Traveller Crime is being investigated by Ofcom after it was hit with more than 800 complaints.

The 45-minute documentary hosted by Anja Popp focused on crime allegedly perpetrated by the community in the market town of Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

In the documentary, Anja went in search of the truth about crimes linked to traveller sites.

She spoke with members of the public who have experienced crime waves and intimidation, went out on patrol with police dealing with rural incidents and heard from travellers and their advocates, who say they suffer prejudice and attack.

After the programme aired in April, Ofcom told to Metro.co.uk: ‘We are investigating whether this programme breached our rules on harm and offence.’

The documentary received 897 viewer complaints in total.

National charity Friends, Families and Travellers, which works on behalf of all Gypsies, Roma and Travellers also launched a complaint letter to Channel 4 and Ofcom at the time, which received more than 7000 signatures.

Sarah Sweeney, policy and communications manager at Friends, Families and Travellers told Metro.co.uk that members of the community have received abuse and threats since the documentary aired.

‘The way the communities were spoken about was dehumanising, unbalanced and unfair. We have seen a wave of hate speech as a result,’ she explained.

‘Some people have told how they don’t even want to leave the house and they fear for their children in case they get bullied when they go back to school.’

Sarah went on to add that they ‘welcome the investigation’ and hopes Channel 4 will ‘face the consequences of their actions’.

She continued: ‘We welcome the investigation by Ofcom – it is vital that justice is done for Gypsy and Traveller communities.

‘In the weeks since the show has been aired, we have heard from countless members of Gypsy and Traveller communities who feel sentenced as criminals simply because of their ethnicity. 

‘It is not an entire community that commits a crime, it is an individual. Yet, this show put the whole of the Traveller community on trial. Channel 4 must face the consequences of their actions.’

Channel 4 has since removed the show from their on-demand and catch up service as they defended the documentary after it was flooded with complaints.

A spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We stand by the journalism in this programme.

‘The statistics were drawn from government and police sources and analysis of the association between crime levels and some Traveller sites was undertaken by highly professional people.’

They also released a statement to their website which read: ‘In response to correspondence received regarding the above documentary, Channel 4 have issued the following response.

‘Channel 4 has a strong track record and remit to conduct public debate including about difficult and uncomfortable issues. This programme examined an important issue which was addressed fairly, accurately, and with due impartiality in accordance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

‘The programme analysed crime statistics regarding the association between crime levels and some traveller sites. The programme included contributions from Travellers and Traveller advocates as well as contributors who told of their experiences of living near certain Traveller sites and who questioned the authorities’ approach to criminality.’

The statement continued: ‘Other representative groups were approached but did not respond or declined to take part in the programme. Viewer Enquiries will not respond to individual correspondence, but all correspondence received will be logged for the information of those responsible for our programming.’

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What is Ofcom and what does it cover?

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day.

The watchdog makes sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

Ofcom deals with most content on television, radio and video-on-demand services, including the BBC. However, if your complaint is about something you saw or heard in a BBC programme, you may need to complain to the BBC first.

Its rules for television and radio programmes are set out in the Broadcasting Code.

The rules in the Broadcasting Code also apply to the BBC iPlayer.

This Broadcasting Code is the rule book that broadcasters have to follow and it covers a number of areas, including; protecting the under-18s, protecting audiences from harmful and/or offensive material and ensuring that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.

Audiences can complain to Ofcom if they believe a breach of the Broadcasting Code has been made.

Every time Ofcom receives a complaint from a viewer or listener, they assess it to see if it needs further investigation.

If Ofcom decide to investigate, they will include the case in a list of new investigations, published in the Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin.

An investigation is a formal process which can take some time depending on the complexity of the issues involved.

Ofcom can also launch investigations in the absence of a complaint from a viewer or listener.