How to spot organised begging

Signs of organised begging

It can be hard to know for sure whether anyone is being forced to beg, but you may start to notice more people begging in your community and you may be concerned about them.

People who are being forced to beg may be vulnerable and could be exploited by a crime gang that controls them, so we want to hear about your concerns.

These are the signs you can look out for:

Groups of people arriving together

Often people in this situation are brought into a particular area; they're not locals. So you may see a group of people arriving together. They may have been in the same car or van, or on the same bus or train, and arrive at the same time or on the same day of the week. Often someone in the crime gang will split the group up and send them off to beg in different areas of the city or town.

People begging for a crime gang can also be moved around the country to where the gang thinks they could make the most money. For example, they may be moved to a seaside town during the summer.

Local people who are begging tend to turn up at a particular spot on their own when it suits them and leave on their own when it suits them.

Preparing to beg

You may notice members of the group prepare to start begging. They might put on clothes that are grubby or have holes in them to make it look as though they've been rough sleeping. They may have backpacks they hide near to where they're begging. 

They often share blankets, mats and cardboard signs, so you may see different people are using the same blankets or mats, or the same cardboard signs with the same handwriting and the same message.

Someone who is begging locally will usually have their own blanket, mat or sign. 

Someone collecting the money

You may see a member of the crime gang arrive throughout the day and take away any money the people who are begging have been given. The individual is not allowed to keep it; this is part of how they're being exploited.

People who are being forced to beg

There are some things you can look out for if you think someone is being forced to beg.

They might:

• look clean, well-kept and hygienic; they don’t usually look malnourished
• look scared, anxious and might not trust strangers, especially those in positions of authority
• arrive and leave with other people rather than on their own

They might not:

• seem to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so they won’t have any bottles of alcohol or drug kit near them
• look as though they're homeless or sleeping rough; they don't usually have sleeping bags or personal possessions next to them
• speak much English, if any; instead of talking to you to ask for money, they'll point to the sign they're using
• interact with the public, or if they do, they may use the same background story as other people you speak to who are begging in that area

Some of those who are working for begging gangs might not realise they're being exploited. They may even defend the gang that's exploiting them.

Signs of organised begging near businesses

If you run a business, you may start to notice people begging near your premises when they have not done so before.

This could include:

• seeing begging near your business on your CCTV feed
• customers telling you about new begging they've seen as they approach your business
• begging happening at a particular time of day, or on particular days or months of the year

Any of these can be signs of organised begging and you can tell us about your concerns.

Next: Report organised begging