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Undercover police tackle street beggars
AN undercover crackdown on street beggars in Edgware Road has resulted in five arrests.
Teams of plain-clothes officers from the Hyde Park Safer Neighbourhoods Team swooped on begging gangs that have been plaguing the area in recent months.
Gangs, which usually included small children, come into the area around Paddington Green from places as far away as Slough and Illford.
Sergeant Dave Nokes said: “Begging is one of the things that upsets people the most on our ward and therefore it’s the number one priority problem.
Sometimes the perception by the local residents is that we’re not tackling it but that’s not
the case.”
He said police have issued 19 Asbos for begging over the past year.
Of the five arrests last week, two were for begging and the other three for prostitute carding.
Sgt Nokes said: “We’ve got five arrests and they’re all in relation with our ward panel priorities. And with the last person we arrested for begging it looks like we can get an Asbo.”
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