Concerns raised on number of beggars on the streets pretending to be disabled

Concerns have been raised on the number of beggars on the streets that pretend to be disabled.

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Dr Josefa Koroivueta says that some of these beggars have homes but are still begging on the streets.

There have been cases were these people beg on the street in the morning, and return home buying things for the family or even buying alcohol or cigarettes.

Koroivueta says beggars need to know that begging is illegal.

It is believed that most of these beggars are helped by the Social Welfare Ministry however they are still begging on the street.

Koroivueta says these are the people that are dropped by families and friends in the mornings and picked up again in the afternoons.

He also says that they try discouraging the public from giving money to beggars. Koroivueta says if people continue to give, then these people will keep coming to the streets to take advantage of people's good hearts and beliefs.