36 arrests as part of crackdown on ‘commercial begging’

Gardaí have made 36 arrests for begging in Cork City so far this month as part of a crackdown on a new wave of ‘commercial begging’ activity in the city centre.

They have warned that arrests alone won’t eliminate the problem, with a high rate of recidivism and increased Garda activity in one area displacing the problem to other areas.

The arrests figure emerged yesterday during a meeting of the Cork City joint policing committee (JPC), which heard several calls for gardaí to adopt a more robust approach to tackling the problem.