Councils seek tougher laws for beggars

摘要

Councils have demanded fresh powers to deal with 'aggressive beggars' amid warnings that an influx of new immigrants could lead to rising homelessness. In an open letter to Home Office minister Norman Baker, a group of influential urban authorities -including Westminster, Birmingham and Nottingham - warn government reforms to anti-social behaviour laws will be ineffective. Ministers plan to abolish antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) next year, and replace them with injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance (IPNAs). But the letter states that IPNAs 'will bark but won't bite' - and demands that automatic powers of arrest be built into the injunctions.