Retailers in Cardiff have urged police to invoke a 188-year-old law to rid the cityâs streets of homeless people during the Olympics. Cardiff Retail Partnership wants officers to utilise the 1824 Vagrancy Act so that visitors to the city are not given the wrong impression of the Welsh capital. The law, which was introduced as a measure to deal with the rising numbers of rough sleepers following the Napoleonic Wars, makes it a crime to sleep on the streets. According to the legislation, anyone deemed to be a ârogueâ or âvagabondâ found to be sleeping in the open air can be jailed for up to three months. The law has not been invoked in Wales for a number of years but it has been used in England, most notably by the Metropolitan Police. David Hughes-Lewis, a spokesman for Cardiff Retail Partnership, said the thousands of tourists due to visit Cardiff during the next few weeks could be put off by the number of beggars and homeless people. He said: âIf this is a law which is still in existence and South Wales Police arenât making use of it then the question is why? âIf itâs there to be used and the Met are using it then so should we.â Mr Hughes-Lewisâ claims come a week after concerns were raised by other traders that Cardiff is becoming a mecca for homeless people drawn by the prospect of one of the cityâs many hostel beds. It is thought word is spreading throughout the UK about the number of beds in Cardiff. A new Cardiff council-owned centre opened on Dumballs Road last week, with beds for 44 people and 23 emergency spaces. There has been long-standing concern over the prevalence of homeless people in the city centre since Custom House off St Mary Street was utilised as a temporary shelter. That has now closed, and its residents have been moved to the new Tresillian House centre, but Mr Hughes-Lewis said the presence of homeless people in the city is still a problem. He added: âHomeless people come to our city because the pickings are really quite rich, even more so on a match day. âA lot of them come from places as far afield as Scotland, Newcastle and Manchester because they know itâs a soft touch, they know they are not going to be dealt with.â Superintendent Julian Williams, from South Wales Police, said dealing with the cityâs homeless had been a priority for the past year. âBegging and street drinking continues to be a PACT priority for residents and businesses in the city centre and therefore the Neighbourhood Policing Team continues to take action,â he said. âOver the last 12 months a number of anti-social behaviour orders have been issued to persistent offenders as a last resort when all other attempts to assist and support the individual have unfortunately failed.â and they take the piss out of swansea, bizarre Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...me-for-olympics-91466-31452509/#ixzz21RLAnCKb
Yeah but they'll put a spin on it declaring even the homeless would prefer to be there than in Swansea
It looks to me that Charlie Chan has simply dreamt up a new way to clear the debt and has sent the dole crew out onto the streets.
According to some of the residents ,they live in a Utopian world where there's no crime,drug taking or travellers and the rest of Wales can eat cake (or was that someone else )
