THINKING of giving money to beggars? Well, why not give the money to charity instead? This is the message officers from Humberside Police and representatives from North East Lincolnshire Council, are urging people in Grimsby to do.
On Saturday 26 April, local officers from Humberside Police handed out leaflets, in Grimsby Town Centre, asking people not to give money to people who sit begging, but to give it to local charity "Harbour Place", who also supported the officers during these two days of action.
Humberside Police have received a number of calls from members of the public reporting people who sit begging in and around the town centre. These people, who frequent the subway close to St James Hotel, St James Square and at the entrance to Freshney Place, often intimidate shoppers and local residents, who say they don't feel safe and it can make them re consider a trip to the town centre.
For these reasons, police have collaborated with the local authority and as part of Safer Communities, chosen to tackle this incident, and show people that Grimsby Town Centre is a nice and friendly place to visit. What people often don't realise is that these people who sit begging are often doing so, to help fund an alcohol and/or drugs habit. The majority of them are also offenders who are known to the police for incidents such as shop theft.
Local neighbourhood Sgt Simon Duffield said: "We have previously taken positive action against people begging in Grimsby Town centre and we have been successful in securing several prosecutions. However whilst it is a criminal offence the courts have limited powers to deal with it. We recognise that this is something that really matters to the public and it has a negative effect on their visit to the town centre so we had to look for alternative ways of disrupting this activity. Together with our colleagues at North East Lincolnshire Council, Safer and Stronger communities and 'Harbour Place day centre' we have designed some innovative educational leaflets and posters to hand out to members of the public.
"Police community support officers will be standing close to where the beggars frequent to hand these out which we hope will have a big impact on disrupting them. We will also be making referrals to the Department for work and pensions if we establish that any of the beggars are in receipt of benefits. Some of these people and have refused assistance from agencies in the past because the reality is that they are making a tidy living from begging. The message that we really want to get across is do not give money to beggars as they will spend this on drink and drugs, instead please give your money to charity. People should not feel intimidated into giving money and should simply say NO!
"If people are able to provide us with evidence of any offences we will take positive action and prosecute those responsible."
"In addition to this we will be joined by NELC enforcement officers who will deal with anybody dropping litter around the area of the minster, this area is an important part of our heritage and yet again it is in danger of being spoilt by the minority. Police and NELC have been working closely with staff at the Minster to encourage people to enjoy the area without causing anti social, dropping litter and damaging trees, all of the trees around the minster are protected and people could find themselves being prosecuted by the council if they are damaged.
"We want everybody who visits the town centre to have a pleasant experience and we are not there to spoil anybody's fun but these are local issues that really matter to the public and by working with the community and our partners we hope this operation can have a positive impact on tackling these issues"
John Waite, enforcement manager for NELC, said: "We are pleased to be working with the police, taking a proactive approach to tackling litter. This activity is after a number of complaints from the public and business premises in Grimsby.
"Fixed penalty notices are issued as a last resort, giving individuals the opportunity to avoid prosecution.
“If they fail to heed advice and pick up litter or dog fouling then they could face £50 fine or up to £2,500 if referred to the magistrates’ court.
"We want to ensure that the borough is clean and that residents are aware of their responsibilities as required by law.
"We encourage all residents and visitors to North East Lincolnshire to dispose of their waste correctly."