Police will take action to reclaim city streets

Perth: Rise in complaints about street musicians, beggars and ‘charity muggers’

Police have warned they will clamp down on “persistent” beggars who become aggressive toward Perth residents.

Officers in Perth have received an increase in the number of complaints about street beggars, “chuggers” and street musicians.

Chief Inspector Ian Scott, area commander for Perth and Kinross, said that he would rather see the public buying beggars food than giving them cash which may be used to buy alcohol or drugs.

Police Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council previously formulated a policy on how to tackle the issue of beggars but as yet there are no plans to introduce a by-law to combat what is a growing problem.

Mr Scott stressed that officers use various ways to monitor street beggars, including CCTV cameras in Perth city centre.

Police are dealing with a vast increase in anti-social behaviour caused by beggars, “chuggers” and street musicians who are all raising the ire of the Perth public.

Officers have received complaints about all three groups, leading to concerted efforts being made to solve the problem, including the use of CCTV cameras.

Beggars are a relatively new phenomenon in Perth, with several located outside shops in the High Street and some situated in South Street.

Chief Inspector Ian Scott, the newly appointed area commander for Perth and Kinross, admitted it is an issue but said “every city” now has beggars.

He said: “We tend to monitor the situation by officers engaging with them in Perth or using CCTV. If people phone up about it we will use those methods.

“The worry is if people who are begging are doing it for dependency reasons. If people want to help beggars they might want to consider asking them if they want the likes of a sandwich, instead of just giving them cash.

“The first time I came across beggars was in Dublin in the early 1990s. I thought, ‘my goodness,’ but they have transited across and every city has its few beggars now.

“We work with Perth and Kinross Council regarding beggars and there is a non-harassment policy by the local authority and ourselves.

“What we look to do is engage with beggars, check on their vulnerability and needs – that could be mental health, physical health or dependency issues on alcohol or drugs.

“Where it does change for ourselves is if that behaviour becomes aggressive or persistent – then we take action.”

Mr Scott also highlighted an increase in complaints about street musicians and “chuggers” – charity muggers – collecting money for charitable organisations.

“We get complaints about street musicians and that can range from people not liking the bagpipes to the panpipes,” he added.

“I think it’s like everything in life, people are okay if it’s in moderation but if it’s a bit loud and goes on for hours and they’re working in a shop people call us.

“Also, people are often not happy about the organised street collections for charities or other groups. That irks some people.”

We get complaints about street musicians and that can range from people not liking the bagpipes to the panpipes

Action is taken if anyone becomes aggressive or persistent with members of the public.