Organized begging

Foxhound38

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809152#Comment_120809152

I think I know the one you're talking about. I saw someone falling for it once - he came into a shop I was in followed by her. She started loading up a trolley full of everything she could find including slabs of cans. Yer man waited until they got to the cashier (whom she asked for a few cartons of cigarettes) and he just walked off, having grown wise to what was happening here. She looked like she could spit glass - "da durrrty b*stars!" 😂

The Continental Op

We have very generous social safety net to save people from needing to beg. If people are begging then they are begging to support their addictions. I don’t think I want to help someone to feed their addiction but I can’t speak for anyone else.

I also wonder if they are begging to pay off some gang master who got them into the country?

Everlong1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809300#Comment_120809300

Jesus. Unbelievable. I saw her with another victim in a Tescos once and was very tempted to go over and intervene but didn't. Having read that I'll definitely be stepping up if I see her again.

Actually that's just given me an evil thought...I might pretend to help her myself and then stroll off laughing when we get to the cash desk. Although I wouldn't want the poor Tesco staff to have to waste time putting all the stuff back on the shelves.

Fair play to your man who left her standing. You'd think she'd have had more sense than to kill the golden goose by ordering all the booze.

mcgragger

Give them nothing.

I played along one time last summer with a man who asked me for money for a hostel.

How much I said to which he answered €20.

I told him tell me the name of the hostel and I'll ring them. He's says awh just give me the money. I said no give me the number. He wouldn't. So I told him if he's was hungry I'd buy him food. Reluctantly he came along to Tesco and I spent a few quid on food for him. Not Heroin.

I work for my money and I came from nothing. So since then my charity goes to local causes and the Hospice.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809372#Comment_120809372

My point is, if no passers by ever gave any beggar any money, then it’s entirely possible that people might have to avail of addiction services rather then feeding their addiction via the misguided kindness of strangers.

And people traffickers wouldn’t traffic any more misfortunates to Ireland because there’d be no money to be made out of it.

Larbre34

Begging should be banned outright, in all circumstances.

We have an infrastructure of State and Charitable organisations in this Country, such that nobody need want for a hot meal or drinks every single day, if that is what they lack.

We do need to improve providing secure shelter for people without a place to call home, but that's not what begging is about.

To my mind it is almost impossible to separate genuine begging for food, from begging for money for drugs, or plain organised criminal begging.

The solution is to ban it and eliminate the option for criminality and provide for those in a very genuine need, a different way.

By the way, I have the very highest admiration for my fellow citizens who would go and buy a meal for a person on the street and bring it to them and engage them in a quick chat and not discriminate as to whether their need was genuine or not.

It's the height of basic compassion and I feel guilty that I have never done it, when seeing a person who is plainly not a criminal beggar, but just in a very bad time in their life.

corner of hells

I work with addicts , it not unusual to have a heroin addict on 5 or 6 bags a day at a cost of in and around 100 euros.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809758#Comment_120809758

As long as they can get the €100 per day from kind strangers then everybody is winning.

The addict gets their fix, the dealer gets their wages, the supplier gets his Range Rover the kind passer by gets the warm fuzzy feeling that makes the guilt go away.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809844#Comment_120809844

You missed a bit , the addict also gets a warm fuzzy feeling.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120810015#Comment_120810015

Ah yes. Heroin pouring through veins fuzzy, new Range Rover smell fuzzy, dealer not getting shot in the head today relief fuzzy.

SortingYouOut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120808844#Comment_120808844

A good few times a year and have seen the guards deal with him by moving him on, sure what else are they going to do. Waste of time.

riclad

theres some homeless people living on the streets in tents ,they dont want to live in a hostel .

i dont think you should give money to people who ask for it, eg drop money into a cup beside someone sitting on the street if you want

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809735#Comment_120809735

Sounds good.

But what do the guards do with someone who keeps doing it anyway?

castletownman

Its remarkable.

There's two beggars in my town with identical signs in very legible writing.

Go down to a bigger town 40 mins away, and the beggars there have the exact same signs, with the exact same message and handwriting.

How coincedental

Honorable

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120807899#Comment_120807899

Film the shift change

Honorable

Just ignore them. They will soon get to know you as you get to know them. Ignore and make no eye contact. The beggars ignore me now. Only once asked lately and that was by a new one.

They will soon learn not to waste time on you. They are like abusive phone callers they soon get fed up of no response

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120810781#Comment_120810781

They are asked to move. Next time they are removed. Next time they are removed and detained. Next time they are removed detained and jailed.

It's like the Enoch Burke situation. The law is reasonably tolerant and fairly proportionate, but it will not be mocked.

Honorable

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809735#Comment_120809735

How does one know if they are genuine or just telling a story

Strumms

The law :

Begging in an aggressive, intimidating or threatening manner is a public order offence. A person found guilty of this offence is liable on summary conviction to a class E fine or up to one month in prison, or both. The Gardaí can direct people begging in certain areas to leave that area, for example, people begging at an ATM, a night safe, a vending machine or a shop entrance. If the person does not follow the request to move they can be charged with an offence and get a class E fine on summary conviction.

It is also an offence to organise or direct someone else to beg. On summary conviction for this offence you are liable to a class A fine, or up to 12 months in prison, or both.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/criminal-law/criminal-offences/public-order-offenses-in-ireland/

it’s unlawful but not enforced.

I just got approached by a beggar while taking cash out of an ATM in CityWest Shopping Centre. (For anyone who knows the centre it was the ATM beside Costa).

He was a good six inches taller than me, and a big guy, not thin. Blue jacket. Totally out of his head. Called me a vile name when I said no.

He walked away, but then went up to my car which was parked a few meters away, where my daughter was sitting in the passenger seat. She told him no too.

I'm not the better of it, if I'm honest.

Honorable

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811087#Comment_120811087

It's not an offence to just beg if you are not intimidating or near a shop door /atm etc. Sitting or standing with a cup out is not an offence. Even asking for money is not an offence if it it is polite and non threatening

I have seen Gardai move on several people and one was searched. He is a known druggie.

batman_oh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809152#Comment_120809152

She walked into Zaytoon when I was having lunch on Saturday with the usual spiel. Literally being doing the same routine for at least 10 years, lost count of the amount of times I've seen her

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811263#Comment_120811263

I agree.

but walk down around Grafton, Liffey and Wicklow St’s and you’ll see and experience all the above…. Very seldom will there ever be any enforcement…

Honorable

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811288#Comment_120811288

I agree I have seen that too. It was not in Dublin i saw the Garda moving them on. Outside Heuston Station is a terrible place. One guy was telling everyone it was his birthday

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805093#Comment_120805093

It is organised and has been for years. Started about 2006 or before. You had locations like Baggot Street etc you had people getting dropped off in cars on the back streets and they would walk around to sit outside Searsons etc for money. Then in evening walk back up to jump into a car load full of them. Also a woman with a young child if possible.

Unfortunately it is pointless giving them money on the street and the homeless "charities" are very much the same with a lot of them just people grabbing money themselves and very little of it getting to the people in need. So it's just as pointless giving the charities anything either.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120814742#Comment_120814742

I work for a homeless charity , I’m posting from my cruiser of the coast of Monaco.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811055#Comment_120811055

How much work do you think a guard has to do to get someone jailed for a month.

Do you think that's good use of their time - especially since being jailed is not a deterrent for these folks? (If anything it would be a holiday away from their handlers).

mariaalice

As per my usual self, I would talk to anyone I generally don't give them money but outside a supermarket one wet evening, a living skeleton was on the ground begging shivering and miserable looking so I gave them 2 euro and said how long will you be here and he said I need another 10 for a hit but it's a wet evening a bit slow might be another hour, made me laugh the sheer normality for them of sitting in the wet begging until they get enough for a hit.

riclad

Don't apologise to beggars ,.I just ignore them , there's always someone else who will give them money

MarkY91

The little grey haired Irish fella with specs? He lives around kimmage. Always been around there for 20 years. Rarely nowadays but I used to often see him at the shops at Camden street. Haven't seen him around much lately in either area