Body cams, radios and extra staff to protect council workers from Shrewsbury beggars

Shrewsbury Town Council said it is also increasing the number of cleaners, grass cutters and street sweepers to ensure that its workers are never on their own.

Town Clerk Helen Ball said it comes after four town council worker and two members of Shropshire Council staff had to report incidents of aggression and violence to the police in recent months.

She said the cameras will cost just under £5,000 for the 13 members of staff. The rest of the money is being spent on the radios and staff costs.

Minority problem

Ms Ball said: "Over the last six months we've had a number of individuals who are sleeping rough on the streets and there are a minority that have become quite aggressive, not only to the public but also to staff.

"Of late we've had four members of staff that have had to report verbal assaults to the police.

"We've also had two members of Shropshire Council staff report incidents to the police.

"It's got to the stage where staff are really quite intimidated about doing their work in the town.

"We pay them to work and they shouldn't have to suffer the wrath of these individuals.

Tim Compton from Shrewsbury Ark, a charity that works supporting homeless people, said a minority of rough sleepers had been causing problems in the town centre and that the anti-social behaviour was often linked to the use of drugs like Spice or Mamba.

• Scroll down for Tim Compton's full comment

Mr Compton said he supported any action taken to tackle illegal behaviour as it would help the Ark to support its most vulnerable clients.

The Ark, which has seen an increase of around 30 per cent in the amount of visitors to its centre in Castle Foregate in the last quarter, has also introduced new procedures to protect its users from criminals.

"While we have in the past been able to safely operate an open-door policy during all the time we have been open, this has been made difficult to maintain due to the criminal element in the community, not just among rough sleepers," Mr Compton said.

"All rough sleepers are able to come for breakfast regardless, but after that session, access is no longer on an open-door basis.

"We have however worked hard to ensure that our services are as accessible as ever for those vulnerable clients we are supporting, and to any homeless or vulnerable people wishing to use the Ark as a place to receive help and support to make positive changes in their lives."

Incidents

Ms Ball said some council workers didn't want to visit the town centre or walk to work in case they were followed by beggars.

"We had to look at ways to support staff and we want to make sure they're not alone in the town, and if they ever are they have radios and cameras so they can record what happens and radio into the CCTV room or the police if they need to," she said.

"They then know that if they're going into some sort of compromising situation they can record what happens.

"I've had to provide police with a number of victim impact statements and hopefully we can put measures in place that will reduce the incidents."

The town clerk added that the problem appeared to be with people who are not taking some of the help on offer in the town.

She said: "These individuals are given a lot of support from The Ark and the homeless outreach triage, but our problem is with the ones who don't engage with the help that is there.

"From a staff point of view we are very proud of the town and they get extremely disheartened when these individuals are so disrespectful.

"We do get the odd report from a member of the public saying they've been pricked by a needle in a bush, it's not just our staff we're protecting, it's the public as well."

The news comes after police vowed to do more to do stop 'professional' beggars in Shrewsbury.

Full comment from Shrewsbury Ark manager Tim Compton

"Just like local businesses, we at the Ark are also having to deal with the consequences of the activities and anti-social behaviour of a criminal element within the town.

"There are a number of individuals, including a minority of rough sleepers, whose behaviour has fallen short of what any of us would consider acceptable.

"Unfortunately, a lot of this antisocial behaviour centres on those who are now using a more potent and addictive form of ‘synthetic cannabis’ – Spice or Mamba – and this is one reason why we have all seen a change in behaviour.

"Many of our clients (again, rough sleepers included) have also distanced themselves from this activity and have voiced their unhappiness about the behaviour of those that are causing difficulties.

"As an independent charity we rely on the support of all partner agencies and a very generous and compassionate community.

"We have seen a significant rise in the numbers visiting our service, with an increase of over 30 per cent in the last quarter (up to 30 individuals daily, and 111 in one month – and approximately a dozen sleeping rough at this time).

"The added level of complexity means that there is no ‘one-fix suits all’ solution.

"Our team members work with each client helping develop tailored pathways for progress for each individual.

"When we are not working on a one-to-one basis we are engaging with the rough sleeping community providing a range of activities that help to build life skills, self-worth and well-being.

"We also meet monthly with representatives from West Mercia Police, Shropshire Council, Shropshire recovery partnership and all other agencies that seek to improve the lives of our community’s most vulnerable members.

"While services like ours seek to support anyone who is experiencing homelessness, we are only too aware of the risk that some will attempt to use our services as a platform for illegal and anti-social behaviour.

"We have recently introduced a raft of changes to the Ark’s procedures to ensure that those who think they can use us in this way will not be welcome.

"When the behaviour of a small number of individuals makes it necessary, we support any action that the police and others need to take to tackle illegal and anti-social behaviour, as it is key to ensuring that we can continue to protect our very vulnerable clients."