The city police control center regularly receives reports of people begging for donations in a particularly intrusive manner. For some time now, the city and state police in Wiesbaden have therefore been stepping up their action against such groups. In an interim summary, the city police have now drawn a positive balance of this joint approach. At the same time, however, they are calling on citizens to be very careful when handling donations.

People who ask for help in Wiesbaden with so-called "silent begging" will continue to be tolerated in Wiesbaden's city center. According to unanimous opinion and the legal situation, this is an integral part of city life. According to the head of the city police department, Peter Erkel, the situation is different with so-called aggressive beggars. "This group of people come into the city in the morning, often in minibuses, and then stalk visitors until they make a donation. Usually not out of charity, but to finally get rid of the person harassing them," says Erkel. The people do not shy away from following their target into stores. "That's clearly going too far," explains Erkel. The city police take action in such cases, as do the state police.

In order to be able to take even more effective action against aggressive beggars, the city police have now expanded their measures. While in the past it was usually only possible to issue bans, the municipal police will also be collecting security deposits at the end of 2024 in order to collect the fines imposed. In this case, the corresponding cash will be confiscated from conspicuous persons up to a statutory minimum amount. "The willingness to donate is particularly high during festivals such as the Sternschnuppenmarkt. Many hundreds of euros are collected in just a few hours," explains Erkel. "We can confirm a clear effect: Once the affected group of people realize that they are being checked, sanctioned and cash is being withheld, these gangs usually disappear as quickly as they came," Erkel continues. For example, this approach meant that after a few incidents at the beginning, aggressive begging no longer occurred during the course of the Wiesbaden Sternschnuppenmarkt.

This is also confirmed by Nadine Gärtner, who deals with the issue of aggressive begging for the city police: "We can increase the pressure with skimming." However, lasting success can only be achieved if the behavior is no longer worthwhile. Gärtner therefore also appeals to the people of Wiesbaden: "If you want to donate to people in need, you can do so through one of the many good, professional organizations - but not with particularly aggressive beggars. Your donations often don't even stay with the people begging, but in cases of doubt finance criminals behind the scenes."

Citizens can actively support the work of the city police by not supporting criminal begging gangs with donations, but at the same time reporting suspicious incidents to the city police control center by calling (0611) 314444. Together, we can continue to make the city center attractive and safe for everyone.

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