POLICE have moved into Newton Abbot to move on unregistered street beggars.

One officer said it was in response to a number of complaints from the public.

Last week two officers walked up Courtenay Street’s pedestrianised area, taking away ‘hungry and homeless’ signs and moving on the beggars.

One shopper watching the events unfold said: ‘These ones aren’t genuinely homeless, they have accommodation.’

Police advocate Cllr Mike Joyce welcomed the police action. He said: ‘Newton Abbot Town Council has received numerous complaints about begging for a considerable time.

‘We have spoken at length with the police to seek ways to alleviate the problem.

‘We’ve discussed it with the anti-social behaviour team, local Inspector David Hammond and the safeguarding officer for South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership.’

After losing their handwritten signs the beggars left the scene. Then next day, however, they were back again, with at least one sporting a new sign.

A police spokesman said: ‘The local team had planned to deal with one individual in partnership with the Council ASB officer, in relation to a range of issues that fall under the umbrella of anti-social behaviour. This person was issued with a Community Protection Notice which stipulates a number of conditions he must adhere to whilst in public spaces or face further police action.

‘Officers were on their usual foot patrol in the area yesterday so naturally dealt with some begging as part of their duties whilst out and about.’

Town centre manager Sally Henley said: ‘I was very pleased to see the police move on some individuals who have been begging in our town centre. I receive complaints about this sort of activity and people are particularly annoyed when they see those who purport to be homeless and in need, arriving by car in the morning!

‘I would urge those, who might be thinking about giving to people who appear homeless, to instead donate to one of the many charities which provide support for genuine cases.

‘I know that the police work closely with a number of agencies who are there to support those who find themselves homeless and that a great deal of work goes on behind the scenes, which the public does not see.

‘While we do have some antisocial behaviour in our town, we have nothing like the problems which other nearby towns and cities experience. It helps that we don’t have very many empty shops, as doorways are often where these individuals set up camp.

‘I am grateful to the antisocial behaviour and safeguarding officer at TDC and to the security team at NAST who do a fantastic job of keeping the town safe and welcoming.

‘However,’ she added, ‘I was very disappointed to hear they were back the next day.’’

The true number of genuine rough sleepers cannot be known definitively, but at present the district council is aware of just three rough sleepers in Newton Abbot and two elsewhere in the district.

A spokesman for Teignbridge Council said: ‘We provide an outreach service to find and offer support to those rough sleeping. We may be able to offer temporary accommodation and longer terms support to secure a home, ensure they have access to benefits and health care or offer them support to return to areas where they have a local connection. As numbers are so low we can’t go into any detail about them as they would be easily identified. They have all been offered support.’

The spokesman asked that if anyone sees someone rough sleeping they would like to be informed with as much detail as possible via  Streetlink.org.uk

They said: ‘We are committed to trying to end rough sleeping in the district. We offer a homeless application to anyone rough sleeping and temporary accommodation where possible.

‘We often use our discretionary powers to offer temporary accommodation to rough sleepers who may not fulfil the legal requirements for accommodation. This is assessed on a case by case basis and the applicant must be willing to engage with services to help them move on from temporary accommodation.

‘Our Outreach team work closely with drug and alcohol services, mental health teams and other specialist services to engage with rough sleepers and try to find solutions to help them secure accommodation and maintain it. This might be help to return home, a move into a tenancy or a supported accommodation placement.

‘We also have special temporary accommodation provisions in place when we are experiencing severe weather.’