Report organised begging

If you think you've seen organised begging you can report it to us. We know you may be uncertain about whether to report any suspicions you have, but we’d rather hear from you so we can follow up your concerns.

If someone is being exploited by an organised crime gang, we want to help them and we want to find out who is exploiting them. Any information you can give us will help us to build up a picture of what's happening in your local area. 

How to report 

Report online 

You can report organised begging to us online. 

Contact 101

Call us on 101.

if you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101

Report anonymously

If you want to report your concerns, but remain anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

When to call 999 

Call 999 if:

• you think there is an immediate danger to life
• if someone is using violence or is threatening to be violent
• you've seen someone you think could be a victim get into or out of a vehicle with a gang of others; this could be a sign that the person is being trafficked

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered your phone with the emergencySMS service.

If you don't want to report to the police 

If you're not sure about reporting to the police, you can discuss your concerns with the Modern Slavery Helpline and these other organisations that can also offer help and advice.

What to include in your report

Tell us what you've seen and what your concerns are, even if you're unsure. It's useful if you include information like:

• where you see this person or group of people
• whether you've seen someone else with the same begging mat or sign at the same place
• if you've ever spoken to them and how they seemed to you; did they seem scared or vulnerable? 
• what has made you feel suspicious or concerned
• when you first saw them

If you're reporting for a business 

If you've noticed what you think could be organised begging taking place near your business, you can report it to us. 

If you have any CCTV of what you've seen, please let us know about that when you report.

Also let us know if any of your customers have mentioned anything to you.

Even if you're unsure about whether what you've seen is organised begging, tell us about your concerns so we can follow them up.

Next: If you are being exploited to beg