Law against homeless ‘rogues and vagabonds’ used 83 times in five years

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll unearthed the data via a question to the Department of Justice, and described the practice of prosecuting people under the act as “barbaric”.

The figures are as follows (with convictions in brackets):

> 2015: 26 prosecutions (16)

> 2016: 14 prosecutions (9)

> 2017: 16 prosecutions (8)

> 2018: 10 prosecutions (6)

> 2019: 17 prosecutions (6)

The act is couched in language which may seem bizarre to modern ears; for instance it speaks of targeting “vagabonds and incorrigible rogues”, as well as prostitutes and fortune tellers – with a possible sentence of a year at the courts’ disposal.

It casts a wide net, being designed to cover “every person wandering abroad and lodging in any barn or outhouse, or in any deserted or unoccupied building, or in the open air, or under a tent, or in any cart or waggon [sic], and not giving a good account of himself or herself”.

Mr Carroll said: “Criminalising those in need with a heavy handed approach from the state and the police will never get to the root of homelessness and begging.

“We need to see urgent action from the Executive to build public housing, scrap welfare reform so people aren’t pushed to the margins of society.

“It is frankly barbaric that the PSNI and the courts continue to criminalise people simply for being homeless and in need, especially in the middle of a global health pandemic. What happened to being ‘all in it together’?

“This legislation is clearly outdated and should have been repealed long ago.”

Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said: “Police are conscious that issues such as begging are challenging. The answer lies with wider society and policing is only one part of this.

“We consider a range of options before arrest, including arresting any individual for the offence of begging. When an individual is arrested for begging, or indeed any offence, they are treated with dignity and respect.

“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams work closely with a range of organisations who are seeking to find meaningful alternatives to begging and rough sleeping.

“Where those people we find on the street are vulnerable and in need of help we will work with our partner agencies to help keep them safe.”

MORE FROM THIS REPORTER:

Click here: McCourt funeral just latest of six republican send-offs during Covid crisis

Click here: Pressure mounts on SF as Foster demands party say who was at IRA man’s funeral

Click here: Late IRA man Eamonn McCourt ‘killed one of his own comrades by mistake’

Click here: SF issues press release about farm conditions in India amid clamour for Londonderry funeral answers

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor