Concerns for city centre 'ambience' as Cork has ‘highest level of detections for begging’

CONCERNS have been expressed over what has been described as “organised begging” in the city centre, adding to a challenging trading environment.

Speaking at a meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) this week, president of the Cork Business Association (CBA), Kevin Herlihy, commended the Gardaí on their policing of the city but said traders are concerned over the level of begging in the city centre.

Mr Herlihy, who is also the operations director of the Herlihy Centra Group which he owns and operates with his brother Brian, said traders are operating in a “very challenging” environment.

“It’s very tough. Our own business is back 10% since Christmas. What Cork city centre needs is it needs an ambience and it needs an atmosphere of safety and the big concern that all the traders are feeding into us is the begging that’s going on on the streets – and it’s organised begging,” he said.

Superintendent John Deasy said aggressive begging is something Gardaí are keen to crack down on. “Begging per se, is legal, but aggressive begging isn’t. We do tackle beggars around the city that are the second category,” he said.

Supt Deasy said gardaí are “mindful” that there are homeless services around the city centre and that gardaí must be “seen to be fair” when engaging with vulnerable people.

“A lot of the time, my members will advise people in relation to blocking passageways, we give them the opportunity to go somewhere else and they will go somewhere else and don’t return,” he said. 

“We have to be seen to be authoritative when we have to be and, as the chief [Chief Superintendent Tom Myers] said, we probably have the highest number of detections for begging in the country.”

Supt Deasy said that, before Christmas, there was an “influx” to Cork city, particularly from Galway, for begging purposes.

“Some of them have come back after Christmas and we’re challenging any behaviour that falls within section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act.”

Cork City Council chief executive Ann Doherty said it might be helpful to encourage people who wish to support vulnerable people to do so through one of the homeless charities.

Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent said people who are begging could fall into two categories. “We have a group that it’s an operation to come in and out. We do have others as well that could be compelled by issues of homelessness, addiction, mental health, and you do need all of those wraparound services to try and address that,” he said.