Only one held over begging was homeless
ONLY 7% of those arrested for aggressive begging and drinking in the Welsh capital were homeless, according to figures from Cardiff council.
South Wales Police recently undertook a crackdown on problem drunkenness and aggressive begging codenamed Operation Purple Ash.
According to cabinet member for housing and communities Lynda Thorne, of the 16 arrested for aggressive begging only one was registered homeless.
She said: “It was a police action to address anti-social behaviour and aggressive begging. The statistics I had was that there were 16 arrests for aggressive begging and only one of those was registered as homeless.
“People might say ‘how do you know’, well we have seven outreach workers who are out seven days a week, mornings and night times.
“All of the partner organisations who provide the breakfast run, soup run and the night bus register everybody on the street.
“There is a single gateway into homelessness so everybody knows who is registered.
“To be honest those people would be known to the police and outreach workers.”
The operation, which launched last month, has seen more than 40 Section 35 notices handed out.
These require the recipient to leave an area for 24 hours. Around 40 alcoholic drinks have also been confiscated.
Coun Thorne said: “The sad thing is that people feel they need to [beg].
“There are welfare reforms and people are having to use food banks but I think begging on the street is not good for individuals or the city centre or good for people who visit the city centre.
“I am not surprised [by the figures] because that is the advice I am given by officers who are out there on the streets.
“I think it is difficult to say that, as people will believe what they see with their eyes.
“When you say that, people think you are making excuses, but they are not excuses.
“That was the point, we are trying to get the message out there, saying please don’t give to homeless indivi-duals.
“There is so much help in Cardiff there is no need for anybody to be on the streets.
“The more people give the more they help them to stay on the streets rather than helping them engage with us and get them off the street which is what we want.
“Their life expectancy on the streets is 45 years old. We need to get them off and into help.”
She added: “Part of the Street Homeless Strategy is to launch an alternative giving strategy that means people can donate.
“Then people who are destitute, whether they are homeless or not, can apply for a grant to help them.
“Then the people that give are able to see where their money is going.
“You can’t say everybody but there are many who are aggressively begging and they are doing it to fund a habit and that could be drug or alcohol.”
South Wales Police, who ran the operation, said there are many people purporting to be homelessness.
A spokesman for the force said: “The operation is not intended to ‘move on’ homeless people from the city’s streets, but will give an opportunity to signpost those most vulnerable towards appropriate support and outreach services.
“The focus is to prevent begging and street-drinking, along with any associated anti-social behaviour, which has a negative impact on those visiting the city centre. ”