Not so long ago, the responsibility for begging again caught the attention of officials. And that thing: as you know, the homeless home often becomes the place where criminals, socially dangerous elements hide, even terrorists can hide here, and they will never be able to find them. However, in our country they proposed a rather original approach to the fight against homeless and impoverished people. What threatens for begging if the initiative is approved? The increase in fines. And this is for people who have no money, no residence permit, and often even a passport or other identification document. In short, the initiative seems controversial. And what about this now?
Law and punishment
Now the punishment for begging money from outsiders in public places is supposed to be in accordance with the rules introduced by the Administrative Code, as well as under Art. 151 of the Criminal Code. For example, in the capital, police, having caught a beggar, can make you pay 100-500 rubles. In practice, law enforcement officers are far more likely to get by with a simple verbal warning. Of course, the police could send notifications in writing, but only the homeless and the poor (at least officially) do not need this at all.
The problem is, was and will be
Begging is not in vain - an article in our laws. This problem is very serious, it was one before and it is unlikely that it will be possible to eradicate it in the near future. It is especially pronounced in large cities, the capital suffers the most. Therefore, Art. 151 of the Criminal Code, although the punishment is not too severe.
Often I try to appeal to the compassion of people passing by not at all those who find themselves in an unpleasant and difficult life situation. As a rule, these are just parasites who want to get money just like that. A particularly unpleasant contingent is those who take minors with them. By law, involving a minor in the commission of antisocial acts must be punished quite seriously, but most manage to avoid this.
How is an eyesore?
Since the punishment for begging is not serious, there are a lot of people who want to beg for money from others. This is especially noticeable at the railway stations of the capital, in the underpasses, in the busy parts of the city. Some say beggars are like an eyesore, while others have looked at them so much that they donât even notice such a dubious contingent. Many people are sure that begging is much more than that received by an ordinary person in the office. In a word, business is booming ... However, there are those who sincerely believe that only really needing it is asking for money.
By the way, from year to year the number of people attracted under the article âBeggingâ to administrative responsibility is growing. This means that the struggle after all, but is on. Police officers not only detect beggars, but also expel them from the subway, levy fines, and stop illegal activities. At the same time, you need to understand that the measures prescribed by law to combat begging a la reprimand, warning are completely useless, therefore, they are on paper, but are not applied in practice.
Formatting laws
Some time ago, an initiative of the following nature was voiced: to remove the phrase âobsessive activityâ from the law. It was proposed by the police themselves, who knew perfectly how the money-asking system works. Basically, in our country, beggars are quite quiet, for a long time there are no those who pull the sleeve, asking for a piece of bread. Modern beggars stand with posters that show both the causes of the plight and the purpose of raising money. Others walk around in trains and cars, loudly broadcasting their soulful stories and hoping for the sympathy of their neighbors.
Unfortunately, the prevention of vagrancy and begging does not give any positive measures. And itâs true: in our country there are still many who sincerely believe in all the posters and tearful stories in a mournful tone. They give the last, so that everything is "Christian." People donât even think that they can be deceived.
Why are beggars dangerous?
Why are beggars so dangerous? Firstly, many of them include the involvement of a minor in the commission of antisocial actions. According to the law, this is strictly prosecuted, which does not prevent thousands of children from disappearing on the street from year to year - and not because of games with friends. In the future, such children are often gangs, drugs, theft, even murders.
And the beggars themselves are also a criminal sphere. From the outside it seems that they are quiet , calm people sitting on the sidelines and hoping for the mercy of passers-by. In any weather, as if to work, they come to bridges, to the entrances to the subway, to bus stops. But in fact, begging is a serious thriving business, characterized by a very strict hierarchy. It was not in vain that the article âBeggingâ was introduced into the laws of the country, it is not in vain that they try to increase responsibility, because you can safely compare the poor with the mafia. And there are many people here, and there is an organization, and money is spinning oh how serious.
Not as simple as it sounds
Among the beggars there are those who were really thrown out into the street, without a roof over their heads, but much more involved in the sale of drugs involved in theft and murder. Police and judicial practice knows cases where, under the article âBegging,â they detained and imposed ridiculous fines on dollar millionaires who made their fortunes in the streets.
Other beggars and true tramps without a home, but there are many in this environment who consider this occupation to be their job. In the early morning they put on a masquerade - old, ragged rags that cause pity for others, put on make-up, rehearse in front of a grimacing mirror, and then go to crowded places. In the evening, such hard workers return home to a luxurious multi-room apartment with modern finishes and expensive furniture.
Everything's under control
You canât just start asking for money from passers-by. No, this is not because the âBeggingâ article prohibits this in the administrative code. She, of course, forbids - but who will obey the laws, especially with a fine refunded in just an hour of work?
In fact, all the places where the beggars sit are controlled within this structure. The greater the income from the point, the higher will be the control over it. Part of the income will have to be transferred to the "roof", some will be left to keep. The higher the total income, the more the âbeggarâ will earn for his pocket. This is undoubtedly a serious incentive, and people are inventing new and new methods to put pressure on the pity of others. By the way, a workplace can even be sold - and it will cost decent money. At the same time, becoming a part of the guild of beggars is not so easy, strangers are driven up by you. And it is really difficult to feed alone on the street.
We use everything that is possible
As already mentioned above, the poor give part of the income to ringleaders, who provide some security and even perverted justice in the world of beggars. How to make people give more money to earn more for themselves? The easiest way is to use children. Everyone loves kids, they want a better future for them, so for minors they donât feel sorry for any money, even if itâs not their native blood.
But for beggars, children are a means of earning, used to knock out a tear from a passerby. Which they do, by the way, masterfully. If they take babies with them, they add drugs or alcohol to food - the kids sleep and donât cry, you donât need to calm and lull, and the effect on passers-by is still strong. Those who are older help adults - they build plaintive eyes, attract attention with behavior. However, the little ones in this world rarely survive - there are a lot of tools, so beggars do not cherish them.
What to update in the law?
To make the fight against begging more effective, they first suggested increasing fines. Why not take 2.5-5 thousand from each beggar? And the budget has a good profit, and those who want to beg for money on the streets, you look, it will decrease - apparently, this is what officials reasoned. However, these proposed initiatives have not been exhausted.
The following plan was proposed for consideration by the higher authorities: it is necessary to clarify that begging involves asking for not only money, but also products, any values ââof a material nature. And this is with the exception described above for the term âobsessiveâ. In a word, such an initiative was to fully cover what is happening on the streets of Russian cities.
And historically?
If you turn to the experience of past centuries, you can find out that begging has been punished in Europe for a very long time. In the 14th century, such standards were already introduced according to which beggars from the law got rather seriously. Peter the Great brought to Russia a lot of new Western trends and practices, including the fight against beggars. When the authorities had advice, the poor, begging for money from ordinary people, could receive punishment under Article 209 of the Criminal Code. According to her, responsibility meant no more nor less prison. Could plant already for 2 years. For repeat offenders, a maximum period of 4 years was established.
The article was removed from the Criminal Code in 1991. To this day, the standards introduced at the time when begging has been re-qualified as administrative misconduct apply.
Didnât save anything?
Actually, it cannot be said that there are no traces left from Soviet practice in our legislation. And today, a beggar can be sentenced under the Criminal Code, but this can happen in a situation where it was possible to convict a certain person of actively participating in a beggarly mafia and taking control positions in it.
The one who controls this entire system, the top of the hierarchical ladder of beggars, is the real bosses, prosecuted according to the rules of criminal record keeping ... unless, of course, they were able to catch them, which happens quite rarely. But if you really caught, then you canât count the charges. This is slave labor, and the infliction of mutilation and beatings, less often - murder and other serious crimes. The main problem that law enforcement agencies face, even if they managed to take such a boss into custody, is the lack of evidence. Beggars have the most information, but they rarely agree to cooperate with the investigation, and as a result, the suspects are released âfor lack of corpus delictiâ or with other similar formulations.
Push the smaller brothers with impunity
This sin for beggars has been known for a long time, because people who have descended to the very bottom of the social ladder are trying to use everything that is tucked into the arm. If newborns are being exploited, why not beg for money with animals? Not so long ago, lawmakers took the initiative - they suggested introducing a special punishment for those who resort to animals. The draft law provides for administrative responsibility.
Activists tried to attract public attention to the problem of animal exploitation for a long time. As you know, the poor, using animals, mock them, contain in disgusting conditions. In addition, if the beggars have their own house, then they leave all the cats and dogs in it, which creates an abundance of problems for neighbors, because they do not feed animals, do not care for them, they do not provide a toilet in a banal way - in short, they create a real ghetto in the worst traditions. And all this is presented as a socially useful work to save the dying on the street.
How it works?
On a new initiative, they propose introducing responsibility for those who exhibit animals in public, trying to get money for it. Typically, such beggars ask for money to feed animals. The bill contains a punishment for such behavior, as well as a more serious option if the animal suffered or died from such an action.
At the same time, specialized projects that raise money for animals are allowed. These are places of charitable help for legal shelters, where they try to create adequate living conditions for homeless animals and help them find a new home.
And the police on this issue further clarifies: if a simple old woman with her cat tries to get up in the passage to collect alms for herself and the animal, local bosses will immediately expel her from the mafia of beggars. This means that only those who have a roof are standing on the street - that is, not poor people who need support at all, but deceivers who collect money not for animals.