Rise in Roma adults begging

THE number of adult members of the Roma Community begging on the streets is on the increase, according to the ISPCC, which described it as “surprising”.

The ISPCC also said it was concerned about the numbers of very young children begging, as figures show a rise last year – though overall numbers have fallen dramatically in the past decade.

The ISPCC’s Leanbh service has been operating since 1997. Its first annual report showed 2,872 sightings of child begging. By last year, that had fallen to 966, though that did mark a slight increase on the figure for the previous year.