A police operation to clamp down on street begging in Cardiff has been accused of risking the further criminalisation and isolation of some of the most vulnerable members of society. South Wales Police is leading on a new begging protocol based on the Operation Luscombe model, which claims that it signposts homeless people to appropriate support to reduce the level of begging on streets.
The model was used in London and Peterborough, where police enforcement was aimed at encouraging individuals to access support. Operation Luscombe has also been running in Merthyr Tydfil. The scheme in London used a traffic light system, in which Community Protection Warnings (CPW) and Community Protection Notices (CPN) are issued if individuals refuse to seek support.
Cllr Jamie Green asked Cardiff Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne about the potential risks of the Operation Luscombe model being adopted. He noted that there is "some really impressive work going on" to tackle homelessness in Cardiff, but added that he wanted to flag, in relation to police's use of the Operation Luscombe model, that "because of trauma" there may be people who don't want to access support services.
