Arrests fuel fears of beggar gangs

Police have been monitoring syndicates suspected of organizing and controlling begging activities carried out by visitors, as evidenced by the arrest of 42 beggars in public places last year.

This revelation came after Legislative Council member Peter Douglas Koon reported an increase in begging activities in crowded tourist areas, involving non-locals exploiting their visits and believed to be part of syndicated operations.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung disclosed that, as of November 30, a total of 79 individuals had been apprehended for begging or soliciting alms over the past five years.

Of these, 28 were sentenced to prison, 28 fined and nine were given suspended sentences.

Fifty-seven of them held two-way exit permits, 18 possessed Hong Kong identity cards, three had Chinese passports, and one held a Russian passport. Between last January and November, 42 arrests were made on the suspicion they were begging and 41 were prosecuted.

Most of the arrests, 29, occurred in Wan Chai, followed by nine in Yau Ma Tei.

Tang said the police had been utilizing intelligence to monitor the involvement of syndicates.

Tang said the police will take decisive enforcement action against any detected illegal activities.

"To address begging activities by non-Hong Kong residents, the police will notify the Immigration Department of the personal details of individuals engaged in such activities," Tang said in a written reply.

"The Immigration Department will include these particulars in a watch list. Upon the next arrival of these individuals in Hong Kong, they will be intercepted and closely scrutinized by immigration officers. Those who fail to meet immigration requirements or raise doubts about the purpose of their visit will be denied entry."