BEGGING is on the rise again in the centre of York, and it is being blamed on a police reshuffle.

Operation Anaconda was launched last year as a crackdown by the city-centre Safer Neighbourhood Teams, to target the city’s most aggressive beggars, following complaints that residents and visitors were being pestered to hand over money.

Since the initiative began, beggars have been taken to court or dealt with in other ways 152 times and residents reported offences falling.

Police say reducing begging had also helped cut other crime, such as antisocial behaviour, alcohol-related offences, violence, theft and drug-dealing.

But PCSO Andy Duffield, of the police city-centre team, who set up the operation with PC Dave Scott, said recent weeks had seen begging problems “shooting up” and this was down to “staffing issues”.

PC Scott has recently been moved to other duties and one York resident who has reported issues with beggars to police blamed this switch for the increase in incidents.

Chris Edgehill, who repeatedly reported the problem of begging until Operation Anaconda was launched, said there was now no “hands-on approach”.

He said: “I have recently known beggars coming back to the city. It is the same old familiar faces that had been, until now, cleared out of the city. They see begging as easy money and refuse help – this is not about people who are in need, they are homeless by choice.

“It’s a blight on our beautiful city. There had been no problem until recently. Former police constable Dave Scott had done a marvellous job, but since he left there is no-one to tackle the problem.”

PCSO Duffield said typical begging hotspots tended to be Station Rise, Ouse Bridge, Micklegate Bar and outside St Michael-le-Belfrey Church, among others.

On the recent rise of begging, he said: “It is a Safer Neighbourhood Team issue and unfortunately we have noticed an increase because of a staffing issue.

“Normally there might be one or two incidents a week – sometimes we would go for days without seeing any beggars but now we are seeing two – three incidents a night.

“It does attract other crime, in my opinion – a lot of beggars are street drinkers and drug users.”

He said he hoped that the staffing issue would be resolved and begging offences would once again fall.