POLICE in Tavistock this week have been asked what they can do about begging, after a person recently appeared in the town, sitting with a hat out and a sign saying: 'Homeless — please help'.

Police have said people should be assured that anyone who is homeless in West Devon will be put in touch with the housing department at West Devon Borough Council as soon as any of the local authorities become aware of them.

In addition to the official routes, police have locally based workers who are experienced in helping homeless people with their needs.

Sgt Dave Anning at Tavistock Police Station said research shows the majority of people begging do so from 'need not greed', although most of the research is based in cities where people can be largely anonymous and overlooked by the authorities, not in country towns where they are easily visible.

He said: 'I would not presume to tell people whether or not to give to a person who is begging, but please bear in mind that experience tells us that if begging is easy then the town will quickly attract more beggars.

'At that point the begging gets more aggressive as the competition hots up. Currently, I am not aware of any aggressive begging having taken place. Begging is an offence but we try to deal with the underlying causes by offering assistance rather than making arrests where we can.'

Sgt Anning suggests giving in ways that you can be certain of what your money is doing, such as buying the Big Issue or donating to a homeless charity.