Wellington Council debates begging ban

Wellington Council debates begging ban

Wellington is seen as a "begging destination" because people here are generous.

That's the message from the authors of an independent report seeking solutions to the growing issue of beggars in the capital.

The authors interviewed a number of beggars for the report, which is currently being debated at Wellington City Council.

Beggars come to Wellington from Auckland and Christchurch because they say Wellingtonians are nicer to them.

Wellington police Inspector Terry van Dillen says we are too generous and recommends people don't give to beggars because they're often "taxed by criminals".

"So you might give a beggar $2 but a criminal is taking $1 off them," he says.

Insp van Dillen was one of a number of people to give submissions to the council this morning before a decision is made on how to deal with beggars.

"We're getting a lot of issues in terms of people being accosted in the street or being threatened not in a criminal sense but in the sense that they're wanting money from the person. And we are finding now that these beggars sometimes work in teams of one, two or three."

The report gives three options, including banning begging and 'actively discouraging' it.

It recommends the third option of better street management, which tolerates begging as part of the cityscape but actively attacks the underlying issues by boosting social services.

One author says they don't want to see begging banned, but they'd like to see an end to the need to beg.  

The report recommends a "street management" approach which tolerates begging as part of the cityscape and views it as a social issue.

The council would engage with beggars and develop a framework with police and social services to deal appropriately with them.

A business owner from Newtown also gave his submission, asking for better measures and resources to deal with its begging problem.

David Wilcock says the number of beggars is increasing and people feel threatened and intimidated.

"I have to walk my own daughter to the shops because she doesn't feel safe," he says.

He wants begging made illegal so when they call police, they can be confident action will be taken.

Insp van Dillen says many of the beggars are smart and know how far to go before their actions are illegal, making it difficult for police to take action.

Councillors this afternoon voted 12-2 to not implement a ban on begging.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown voted against the ban, saying such a proposal wouldn't work.

"Begging is not a criminal activity, and a ban, if enforced, could push desperate people into criminal activity."

She and councillor Paul Eagle, chair of the council's Community, Sport and Recreation committee, will seek an initial meeting with relevant Cabinet members about the problem.

They say the Government must acknowledge the issue and has a responsibility to help solve it.

Newshub.