Abortion clinic staff feel 'abandoned', says charity

Staff at an abortion clinic feel "abandoned" by police because no-one has been prosecuted following more than 40 reports of alleged criminal damage to their vehicles, a charity has said.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) runs the clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth, which anti-abortion protesters had stationed themselves outside of before a council order was implemented in 2022.

The clinic was brought to international attention when US Vice President JD Vance raised concerns over the prosecution of a man who breached a protection zone around it.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force has met with BPAS staff regularly and that it was "actively pursuing" lines of enquiry.

Rachael Clarke, BPAS's head of advocacy, said the lack of police action against people who allegedly left nails and screws on roads to be driven over was "incredibly upsetting".

"We have been reporting this to the police. We work with the council. There's now CCTV up outside the clinic but still nobody has been identified, nobody has been caught," she said.

"It often feels to our staff, who often are nurses and midwifes, who are going into help women access essential legal medical care, that they have been abandoned by local police and that's incredibly upsetting," Ms Clarke added.

Before the council order was introduced, she said one protester would leave baby clothes in a bush close to the clinic "to try to make women feel guilty".

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council introduced the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for an area around the clinic in October 2022 in an effort to stop anti-social behaviour.

In April, Livia Tossici-Bolt, from Bournemouth, was ordered to pay £20,000 for breaching the PSPO twice in March 2023.

Vance voiced concern about the prosecution of Adam Smith-Connor, who was told to pay £9,000 after he prayed outside the clinic.

He said it represented the UK's "backslide away from conscience rights" at the Munich Security Council in February.

The government introduced buffer zones around abortion clinics in England and Wales in October, which prevent protesters gathering in a 492ft (150m) radius around them.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said the force's neighbourhood policing team has worked "extensively" with BPAS staff "to tackle the issues they face when going to work".

The said: "We have seen a reduction in the number of criminal damage offences reported to us this year and have met with clinic management to ensure we are being made aware of all incidents that have taken place.

"Subsequently we have not seen any additional reports.

"The crime series remains under investigation and we actively pursue any potential lines of enquiry, however, no arrests have been made to date."

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