Date:

09/08/04

People who visit the many shops and entertainment venues in Camden and Westminster are being warned that they could be Killing with Kindness if they give money directly to street beggars. 

Posters will be appearing at a wide range of sites throughout both Camden and Westminster to help reinforce the message that money given to street beggars is often used to buy hard drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine.

The campaign aims to -
· Reduce the number of people giving money directly to beggars
· Get across the message that money given directly to beggars is likely to be used for buying hard drugs and that street beggars are unlikely to be rough sleepers.
· Let the public know about the services available for those on the street and other ways in which they can help homeless people
· Reduce the number of street beggars and associated anti social behaviour. 

In addition to the campaign, Police officers and Council outreach workers will warn people who beg about their behaviour and will offer advice about and referrals to the various support services available. 

Cllr Jane Roberts, Leader of Camden Council, said, "Throughout Camden we offer excellent services to help those on the streets find accommodation, support and treatment and there is no need for anyone to beg to support themselves. Working in partnership with the Police, we will do everything we can to continue to improve the quality of life for all in Camden.

"Begging can be very distressing for others, is likely only to fuel continued drug use and will not be tolerated in Camden, while every effort is made to provide high quality services for those in need."

Cllr Kit Malthouse, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council, said, ""People need to know that the pound they casually give to a beggar may buy the fix that kills them. In my view giving to beggars is actually a very cruel thing to do.  Westminster Council offers substantial help to people rebuild their lives away from the streets. We know that street drug addicts are less likely to enter treatment programmes if they have money to sustain their street based lifestyles - so giving in this way only makes things worse. There are plenty of other ways to help the homeless without causing yet more suffering."
 
Press office contact, Westminster CC, Nick Dines for 020 7641 1886

1.. www.killingwithkindness.com gives full information on the aims and objectives of the campaign, along with information and statistics on street begging including the key findings and success of a similar campaign which ran in Oct/Nov 2003. Information on giving money to charities that help street beggars will also be available and visitors to the site will be able to make donations by following the links to various support agencies.

2.. The campaign is a partnership involving The West End Drugs Partnership, the London Borough of Camden, the City of Westminster, the Metropolitan Police, Thames Reach Bondway and The Crime Reduction initiative.

3.. Posters supporting the initial phase of the campaign will be appearing throughout the West End in bars, restaurants, theatres, banks and shops as well as in print and broadcast media.  There will also be a series of other marketing initiatives such as postcards and drinks coasters to back up the message. 

4..The campaign will target different areas of Camden & Westminster each month.   Both boroughs are both Home Office's Trailblazer areas, testing innovative approaches to tackling anti-social behaviour.