CORK CITY'S Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin has confirmed that people have flown in from Romania to take part in organised begging in the city.
The senior garda told a meeting of the Cork City joint policing committee that gardai found return airline tickets to Romania in the possession of members of a group who were arrested in the city recently for obstruction, and who were later prosecuted for offences under begging legislation.
Cork District Court heard earlier this month that one of five Romanians who were arrested in the city for obstruction had an invoice for €1,110 for return flights for himself and five colleagues from Romania to Cork.
Some were fined and others got the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act and were all warned by the judge that any repeat offences would end in jail.
It has since emerged that some of those involved had arrived in Ireland through Cork or Dublin airports, and had dispersed to cities including Galway, Limerick, and Cork.
They are also believed to have taken advantage of the services of homeless charities, including Cork Simon Community.
Chief Supt McPolin told Eoin English of the Irish Examiner: “We have secured some evidence to suggest that some elements of these people who are involved in begging are organised.
“Some of the prosecutions which have now been dealt with involved people who had purchased flight tickets from Romania to here, and they had return tickets as well.
They were coming in and out, we believe, to use Cork as a base to get involved in begging activity.”
Business leaders in Cork city expressed concerns earlier this month about a marked increase in begging activity in city centre.
Cork Business Association president Pat O’ Connell said he has concerns that a ‘Mr Big’ is involved in the organisation of some of this begging activity.
Chief Supt McPolin reinforced the possibility that an individual is coordinating some of this activity, but added: “At this point, we haven’t identified any particular one person – it may be organised collectively.”
Gardai have committed to working closely with the Cork Business Association and traders to identify those who are collecting money from the public without a permit.
The law doesn’t ban begging but offences arise when its accompanied by harassment, intimidation, assaults, threats, or obstructions of persons or vehicles.
“We are actively policing it,” said Chief Supt McPolin. “Several people have been before the courts and we will continue our enforcement as part and parcel of our aim to make the city a safe and welcoming place to visit.”
