Streets of Dublin

Confucius say

Hi all. Just wondering what we can do about the begging situation in the city centre? I have a group of friends in England and they have all commented on how bad it is. I know they are relatively harmless but i think it looks bad for tourists and you don't see it in less well off cities in Europe. Do the police just ignore it?
The annoying thing is, most of them are professional beggers, especially arround the Nassau st area. I have worked around there for years and its the same people still. Then they all go home together after their shift.
Why is it tolerated? With the amount of tourists around there they must think they're in Calcutta or something.

jimmii

If they are particular aggressive the gardai will move them on if their are complaints not much else they can do really I don't think.

AndonHandon

It's awful, especially around O'Connell Street where they can be a bit more 'in your face'. There should be a no-nonsense policy and anyone engaging in begging whether actively or passively should be forced to move on.

athtrasna

Confucius say wrote: »

Hi all. Just wondering what we can do about the begging situation in the city centre? I have a group of friends in England and they have all commented on how bad it is. I know they are relatively harmless but i think it looks bad for tourists and you don't see it in less well off cities in Europe. Do the police just ignore it?
The annoying thing is, most of them are professional beggers, especially arround the Nassau st area. I have worked around there for years and its the same people still. Then they all go home together after their shift.
Why is it tolerated? With the amount of tourists around there they must think they're in Calcutta or something.

London, Paris, San Francisco and lots of other 1st world cities...all have worse begging problems so I'm not sure where you get your assertion that Dublin is particularly bad?

Having said that yes there is an issue, the solution is more Gardai on the beat to move them on, eventually they'll stop coming back. Garda numbers aren't high enough to have a permanent campaign against them, they do periodic blitzes but the problem is they usually announce it in advance!

Confucius say

athtrasna wrote: »

London, Paris, San Francisco and lots of other 1st world cities...all have worse begging problems so I'm not sure where you get your assertion that Dublin is particularly bad?

Having said that yes there is an issue, the solution is more Gardai on the beat to move them on, eventually they'll stop coming back. Garda numbers aren't high enough to have a permanent campaign against them, they do periodic blitzes but the problem is they usually announce it in advance!

I worked in central London for years. Beggers arent anywhere near as much a problem as they are here. I dont think I ever saw one on the north side of oxford st where I was based and very few in Soho. It is not a noticeable problem in London. It just makes our city look bad and I wonder what the solution is.

odyssey06

I think our judges, who seem to delight in finding loopholes in legislation instead of respecting its clear intention, have made the enforcement of the recent anti-begging legislation difficult. So they are one part of the problem.

"There was a sharp drop in begging from April 2011 after gardai began implementing the Criminal Justice (Public Order) 2011 Act, which prohibited begging near ATMs and shops. But a High Court ruling that gardai have to establish that the person they stop begging does not have a licence under the Street and House to House Collection Act of 1962 – the law that governs charitable collections – has led to a number of begging convictions being struck out in the courts in recent weeks. As the convictions were struck out, the beggars – many of them Roma gypsies – have returned to the streets in large numbers."
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/high-court-ruling-helps-put-beggars-back-on-our-streets-29210883.html

MartyMcFly84

But surely there is anti loitering legislation that could be enforced in the city centre?

It would be much easier to impose and would sort out much of the begging and antisocial behaviour in around the city centre.

Also if needle exchange , methadone clinics and shelters were moved outside of the side centre this would help also. The Luas, buses and trains are used by addicts to travel into the city centre to use these services. Then hang around the city centre all day getting up to no good.

I really don't why these services need to be located in the city centre, I have not seen this in other cites to the same degree as in Dublin.

The pitiful amount of Garda on the beat around Dublin is another major factor. I rarely see them, we need more Garda on the the street either on foot or on bike, with support in cars etc.

There should be an almost permanent Garda presence on the main thoroughfares imo, like in most other European Capitals.

fiachr_a

Confucius say wrote: »

Why is it tolerated? With the amount of tourists around there they must think they're in Calcutta or something.

The same reason cyclists on footpaths and junkies are tolerated. Most people don't care. Get a video camera and start filming these beggars, they usually move.