Victoria Road seems to be suffering from an increased influx of drunks begging for money. I was asked for money Saturday morning opposite Boots the chemist, and was spat at when I carried on by. Opposite was a handful of drunks slumped around in shop doorways. What is happening to surbiton ? Be nice to see some police around to remove these individuals.
Begging in Victoria road
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Comments
This is not unique to Surbiton. I am seeing an increase in this type of thing everywhere lately. Surbiton is perhaps hit slightly harder than most places because it houses the YMCA where they seem to have totally lost control of drug and alcohol usage amongst residents.
Inevitably this spills out onto the streets, and isn't helped by the fact that a lot of people seem to be falling over themselves to give money to beggars. If they stopped doing it, we'd see a large reduction in this type of behavior very quickly, I'd have thought.
When the 'con artist', fake beggar used to sit outside HSBC up until last year, I reckon I saw people give him money on most nights I walked past. Just imagine how much that adds up to!
You may want to check your facts. The beggars in the high street are not from the ymca. The one outside McDonald's gets the train into surbiton each morning.
That is crazy in that case. It can't be that lucrative a spot in Surbiton to bother commuting in, surely? The town always seems relatively quite outside of rush hour/weekends, and I don't think that most of the people that are there in the week are the ones giving away money, it is more the people coming off the trains in the evenings that I see doing that.
I guess it must be worth it, or why would they do it?
It only takes one naive soul to hand them some coins and that's enough to keep them begging. When it gets aggressive that's when I have a problem. there are just no police around.
Yep, aggression and spitting is ridiculous. I have even heard stories on here about how someone gave a handful of coins to one of these beggars and the beggar tossed the copper coins away!
They are probably so used to getting higher value coins and notes from people who think they are doing the right thing that the sense of entitlement starts to rocket.
I had one in Sainsburys car park walk up to me and threaten to "scratch my eyes out" when I quietly ignored his hassling for some of my hard earned salary. We squared up for a few moments then he left. This was broad daylight in Victoria road. He was a big bloke and probably not unused to using his size to intimidate others. I was not therefore entirely sure that squaring up was a viable reaction, but to have caved in would have been tantamount to this becoming an outright mugging. He decided not to press further with his attack. That time. But sooner or later there's going to be blood spilt. The "police" must be somehow encouraged to try and take an interest in this problem.
I had one last night with a dog shout and swear at me while I was out for my evening run. As I jogged past, minding my own business I was told "shut the **** up you ******. Nice. Now I was running so did not feel compromised, but what if this had been someone more fragile or a child.
Anti social behavior is not welcome anywhere, but what are the police doing about it?
We have no effective way of dealing with beggars or rough sleepers or street drinkers and other low life,at least none that would be legal or acceptable in our ever so caring and tolerant society.
The same applies to illegal immigrants we are simply at a loss,perhaps the old adage of "being cruel,to be kind" needs to be activated.
The police walk in the 'surbiton hill ward' everyday, email to ask them to add the high street to the walk.
These people are not from the ymca, they have showers there and rooms, these guys are dirty and have all their bags with them. Plus the ymca has a police office inside it so they police the centre well now.
The McDonald's guy gets a train in, I've seen him on the platform.