Street beggars in Grimsby and Cleethorpes targeted
A new operation has been launched to tackle the "increasing" number of beggars in the town centre areas of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
An operation's begun to tackle the "increasing" number of street beggars in Grimsby and Cleethorpes town centres.
North East Lincolnshire have teamed up with Humberside Police to clamp down on the problem.
As part of the new initiative, people are being asked not to give out money to street beggars but donate to local support charities such as Harbour Place instead.
Beggars in the region receive around £80 a day in donations.
Councillor Hazel Chase from North East Lincolnshire Council said:
“While it is a fact there are a number of genuinely homeless rough sleepers in the area, these individuals are not regularly begging on the streets of North East Lincolnshire. I would urge residents who do give to beggars to instead support registered charities such as Harbour Place. A number of local businesses have agreed to host charity collection boxes for Harbour Place.
“Donating the money to Harbour Place has the added benefit of ensuring the money is not then used to purchase alcohol or substance that increase or prolong the reasons for individuals becoming involved in begging in the first place.”
“The purpose of the anti-begging initiative is most definitely not to demonise or victimise vulnerable people, in fact their very presence on the streets in these circumstances can make them more vulnerable. It must be recognised that the street beggars involved can have complex needs and therefore the initiative is intended to address some of these issues.
Chief Superintendent Scott Young from Humberside Police said:
“We know that people can become involved in begging for a number of different reasons, through this initiative we can get support to the individuals that need it and address some of the underlying issues with North East Lincolnshire’s town centres.
“We ask them to make an agreement with us that they will enter into certain behaviours, whether that’s a diversion into one of our partner agencies for support, or agreeing not to engage in begging, street drinking or anti-social behaviour.”
Robin Barr from Harbour Place said:
“Over the last 20 years Harbour Place has received generous support from the local community to work with the homeless, socially excluded and those suffering from addiction.
"We welcome this positive initiative, which mirrors our own aims, to find solutions through effective partnerships, and provides support to enable individuals to make active choices about their future”.