Just strolling into Surbiton High Street today in the nice weather and hey more beggars lying around making the place look unwholesome. Think I saw that guy again who got a custodial sentence last time? Right on the corner of St James Road at the HSBC bank. So it looks like he is back in town plus a cohort this time fully dressed in battle fatigues I guess he wants us to think he is Ex services? Going to be a regular pantomime ? maybe we will get a couple of guys dressed up as a horse next? They should make it a lame horse but might make people feel compelled to offer some money . A little bit further down Victoria Street opposite NatWest bank is another bigger who looks very disgusting indeed a health hazard on two legs really. Very unsightly unnecessary and unpleasant. It's beinging the whole area down.
more beggars it beggars belief
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Comments
I wonder how the current migrant/refugee crisis will affect this problem. The current appetite seems to be to allow a lot more of them to come to the UK, but what will they do once here?
There are certainly not enough jobs for them and despite the Daily Mail-type reporting that their benefits will see them sitting pretty in large houses, I think most people realise that is not the case.
The guy outside of McDonald's lives in Wellington Court, he goes in there (using the door code/keys) every day. So I wouldn't give him any money if I were you guys.
And uses the money to buy drugs.
I also don't like how rude he is, if you walk by he gets very aggressive and demands you speak to him
I have also noticed the notorious HSBC beggar back in his old spot. I notice that he has abandoned the 'Hungry and Homeless' sign that was deemed fraudulent and caused him the problems last time. I also don't hear him actually ask him for money when I walk past or see any evidence that he has collected any.
I guess he is still getting donations from some people and is just pocketing them as soon as he gets them so that he can deny he is begging if the police actually approach him. It must be something like that, otherwise I can't see why he'd sit on a cold street corner rather than at home.
People think that they are doing the right thing by handing over cash, even though it has been proved time and time again that it really just causes problems. It is actually rather a selfish thing to do as there have been reports of beggars becoming aggressive with the people who (sensibly) refuse to give them money. If others hadn't been so generous in the first place, there would be far less of them now to be aggressive towards others.
He said "it's not for drugs or drink or anything like that" just a few minutes ago. He says that he is *now* homeless. Well, that's irony for you, if I believed anything he said. Someone must have bought him chips, which he was feeding to his dog.
Anyway, the whole summer drinking at 11am on the bench down the Victoria Road is really unacceptable. They also use the car park behind the small newsagents as a urinal. I don't really see the police doing anything about this. I'd be happy to see the main Victoria Rd become a no drinking zone.
Totally agree. I don't see any reason not to ban drinking in the whole of the town centre. It is a bit of a problem in Claremont Gardens as well. The HSBC guy has been there every day for the past two weeks and he seems to have picked up two 'mates'. That is a bit surprising as you would have thought that they would want to keep their own 'patch' rather than share begging proceeds with others.
As I walked past yesterday, one of the mates said to him 'Yeah, I got arrested yesterday, wasted the whole day, f---ing c---s. Not a very nice 'welcome to Surbiton' in any case and also a bit of a cheek to accuse the police of wasting his time when all they did was stop him begging and drinking for a day.
It is often said that there is very little crime in the area, but in that case the policeman who therefore must have very little to do would be well advised in my humble opinion to go and move these people or get rid of them frankly. They are a complete eyesore and detract massively from the ambience of the town. The other day I saw some hideous object strewn across one of the benches on Victoria Road covered in a grey blanket, an antisocial and horrible sight. My council tax is beyond ballistic this just is not fair. If any police are reading this please get out from behind your desks take a stroll down to central surbiton any weekend or any evening - and sort this out for once and for all.
Must be careful not to infringe their human rights though,bugger the human rights of the rest of us to have our High Street back.
It would be a huge benefit to the town to ban public drinking. Any town for that matter. I don't mean whilst sitting at a pub or restaurant al fresco style. I mean out in the street generally. If it were banned then there would be a reason for the law to remove offenders. Right now I think the police do not react because there is no particular law bring broken. And I don't think that there is a law concerning vagrancy any more? And I am also surprised the local businesses don't complain as it must affect their trade. Actually it affects all of us one way or another.
Correct they are here because people give them money which pays for drink and drugs. If people stopped stimulating the problem they would go elsewhere.
Do not get me wrong, I am up for helping those who have less, but it has to be through the right channels. There are great charities in London who provide help to get these people back on their feet - but only if they want it. Buying drink and drugs is the other choice and this leads to more crime to fuel the habits.
There has been a massive increase in drug related arrests around Surbiton in the media, please people think, give your money to charities if you want to help.
Unfortunately, it is the generous nature of Surbitonians that is causing this problem.
I was coming home on the train yesterday and a beggar got on the train at Clapham Junction. He started off with a slight variation on the usual sob story and the proportion of people who gave him money was shocking. The guard then went on the intercom and said that the Transport Police had been called and not to give him any money until he was removed at the next station. That stopped the donations for a while.
There have been comments on other local sites that some of these beggars are making up to £200 a day in Surbiton. Assuming they 'work' at it 5 days a week, that is £50k a year all untaxed, so they take home equivalent of someone earning £75k in a proper job. If the £200 a day claim is true I am sure it is totally exceptional, but even a quarter of that is good money and much more than they could earn elsewhere.
Until people stop giving money, these guys are bound to stick around and grow in numbers.