Spot fines one way of tackling problem

Perth and Kinross Council discussed the problem of begging in September last year when an initiative to tackle the issue was launched.

At the meeting it was agreed there are no existing by-laws to criminalise beggars, unlike many local councils elsewhere.

Dundee City Council is considering introducing anti-social behaviour legislation. This followed a senior local authority official describing ‘career beggars’ who were said to be making hundreds of pounds a week by begging, along with claiming benefits.

In Sussex, Adur and Worthing councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of a public protection order allowing the local authority to have the power to issue spot fines of £50 for begging.

However, this was branded “disgusting” by the Worthing People’s Assembly, who gathered more than 5,000 signatures opposing the scheme, which the group claimed would target the town’s most vulnerable people.

And Sussex Police also attracted criticism after it was found that they used a controversial tactic of using plainclothes officers to tackle begging.

The force had stated this policy was part of their wider strategy for dealing with the matter. They said they tried to work with homeless people as partners but used police powers if they did not engage.

They (police) said they tried to work with homeless people as partners