Drug addict Leonard Hockey is not violent or threatening and begs to feed his �22,000 a year drug habit. Begging is illegal but doesn't carry a jail sentence.

Injunctions like this could "coerce" people into seeking help and send "a very strong message to others that begging will not be tolerated in the centre of Manchester" says the City Centre Management Company.

Should begging be tolerated if beggars are not threatening or violent? Will injunctions really force people to seek help for addictions? Or will beggars simply beg elsewhere? Should the law have more compassion?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

Would it not be better to give these people help rather than use the tax payer's money to take them to court?
Zoe, England

This is really a homeless people question and some have no choice but to beg, but most seem to have pets, smoke and money for beer. I have no problem with beggars, some I give money to, and others I don't. In a free country people should be free to beg and people free to ignore them if they want to without fear.
Peter, Hong Kong

Look the way I see it is that we all have choices, I would never dream of asking anybody for money for any reason, why don't these lazy people get up dust themselves down and get a job, a life but more importantly some respect for themselves.
Martin Walkley, Welsh lad in Sydney Australia

Great - let's start targeting beggars now - as if asylum seekers weren't already regarded as responsible for all of society's ills. Some of you people ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Simon Watkins, Wales

If he tried to kick his ?22000 a year habit he wouldn't need to beg! No the law shouldn't have more compassion. I don't give to beggars - and I also won't give to charity 'beggars' with their plastic collecting jars either and yes I am a heartless B*****d!
John, UK

I lived on the streets Konrad Black, UK

I lived on the streets for several weeks. I had not had a proper education and no exam results on leaving the "special school" I was in. I had no family or home to return to. My outlook was no better or worse than some of these wasters you find begging today. But I did something totally unthinkable, I got a job. These people have no future because they want no future. Stop them from begging and force them to help themselves. For those who are willing to be trained, train them and for those who would rather have free handouts should be left to starve. Why should the world keep helping people who are not willing to help themselves? These people are borne of the social security state.
Konrad Black, UK

I work in Belfast city centre, and every day at lunch am approached by beggars - I'm not talking about people like Mr Hockey, I'm talking about charites with organised teams of people lining every major street asking for a few minutes of your time to deliver you such a sob story that you would be a heartless sod not to sign up for their �10 per month direct debit donation scheme. These people are much worse and cause more "intimidation" and any beggar I've encountered. Treat them all equally - all or none.
PG, Belfast, UK

Why can't we look after our own? Tim, UK

There are some very sick people out there. People who have been let down by the system. We should help them. Our system has failed them yet plunders money to assist economic migrants. Why can't we look after our own? Some I talk to are ex-army or RAF. They fought for this country and we have treated them like dirt.
Tim, UK

While once a regularly purchaser of the Big Issue, I am becoming increasingly disillusioned. In a particularly affluent town in Cheshire, during the recent hot spells, the regular Big Issue seller has turned up for 'work' on a mountain bike wearing some pretty decent looking sportswear and wearing sunglasses. The rest of use swelter in our offices and I just wonder who has the better deal here.
Gary, Notts, UK

It depends what kind of society we want. If the majority of begging is to support a drug habit then perhaps we have a responsibility to get these people off the drugs. A soft approach isn't going to do it, the compulsion of the habit ensures that. Secure drug rehab centres are the answer (jails being a known failure when it comes to suppressing drug culture). If we get drug related begging off the street it helps take away the demand, and it hits the dealers where it hurts - in the pocket. Our society cannot afford to take half measures when it comes to such important issues. Just moving these people from one area to another doesn't solve the problem - it just allows us to pretend it's not there.
Peter Jones, UK

There are some very naive people commenting here. Nottingham has seen a massive increase in the amount of beggars in the city centre, many of whom are aggressive. They beg to feed a drug habit. Recent studies show that 97% of the beggars in this city have a home to go to after a day's "work". I have no sympathy for them any more. This "plague" which is spreading across all of UK cities must be sorted out now.
Gordon Sinclair, Nottingham, UK

The authorities are simply targeting the weakest section of society Baz Tregear, England

The attitude to beggars appals me and encourages me to give to them more often. The authorities are simply targeting the weakest section of society because shops and businesses do not want beggars on their premises. In my view begging (in a non violent, not threatening way) is a human right.
Baz Tregear, England

Begging is a failure of the society. If the society cannot correct itself it must allow begging.
Vitsin Murja-Sen, Laos

Great - keeping the police from all that unimportant criminal-catching and crime-investigation that Downing Street seems to think that the police are overloaded with. Now the police are going to have to pour yet more of their already over-stretched resources dealing with another new "class" of offender, meanwhile crime is still on the rise, and the too-few police officers we have are under-equipped, under-paid, and in the main under-appreciated.
Ian, Brit in USA

They choose to get into drugs, they choose to avoid working, they choose not to contribute to society. I don't take illegal drugs, I work (I have no choice not to) I contribute taxes to society (I have no choice, it's taken from me) My taxes are given to these beggars in benefits, medical care, prescribed heroin substitutes etc. They get umpteen charities fighting their cause, free legal aid if they feel that their 'human rights' have been infringed, and an army of 'do gooders' who will stand by them, regardless of the abuse they inflict on honest working people like myself. What do I get? Nothing. I am only required to give tax to the exchequer. If I were to be on the dole, claiming benefits, I would be prosecuted if I so much as worked on the side for an extra �20!
Roy West, England

Begging is an organized crime and it must be made punishable by law Sahil Kumar, Minneapolis, USA

Begging is an organized crime and it must be made punishable by law. Most ordinary people often get intimidated and uncomfortable when they are surrounded by beggars in public places especially outside banks, restaurants and bars.
Sahil Kumar, Minneapolis, USA

You don't need to be violent or threatening to be intimidating. Beggars who take residence next to cashpoints are especially despicable, and deserve nothing but contempt.
Ray, UK

The country's mentality to outlaw social problems such as poverty reminds me of the Apartheid government's mentality. We use to bulldoze shanty towns and then pretend we didn't have poor people and a housing problem. You throw beggars off the street and then pretend you don't have any poor people.
John, South Africa (living in London)

Since many beggars have other problems such as alcohol and drug abuse I think that they should be taken away from the bad influences of their local area for a sustained period, put in a SECURE but comfortable environment in the country, given any medication needed, allowed to regain their health and appearance and given basic work and training within the compound. Yes it sounds hard to be 'imprisoning' such people, but if it allows them to break the chain and start to regain normal habits, surely it is kinder?
Steven Hitchen, France

Beggars serve a valuable purpose in reminding the vast majority of us how lucky we are. One Christmas Eve I emerged from an off licence with hundreds of pounds worth of alcohol and saw, across the street, four beggars huddled together in the snow by the entrance to the city library. I stashed the booze in my car and went back to the off licence and bought a few packs of cigarettes, some 4 packs of strong beer and lots of crisps and peanuts. I then crossed the road and presented these gifts to the four beggars and wished them a very happy Christmas. The joy I saw on their faces and their words of thanks and good wishes will stay with me forever.
Kulu, UK

I used to work on the Strand and when I finished work at normal time I would encounter people begging on the street on my way to catch the tube. If I emerged considerably later I would often see the beggars being picked up by their friends and partners in quite nice looking cars. Basically for a lot of these "destitute" people begging is a racket to help supplement their income from benefit. I'm sorry if that sounds cynical buts that's what I saw.
John, UK

I agree with the decision, but the question must be asked that when the government can build accommodation for immigrants, providing them with health care facilities on site etc, then why can't the same be done to help tackle the problem of homelessness and drug dependency?!
Ali, UK

People should not have to be confronted with that sort of situation Deb, UK

At Christmas, I was shopping in Manchester and saw this man in a doorway. I thought he was dead and people were passing him by. I went into a shop and asked for security to come check him with me. That has stayed with me until now. I was so upset by the whole thing because I thought a genuine homeless person had died near Christmas when in fact his drug addiction caused him to be in that state. People should not have to be confronted with that sort of situation or indeed people hanging around cash machines begging. The government needs to help these people but there is no reason why hardworking, normal living individuals should have to deal with this sort of situation on a daily basis.
Deb, UK

Aggressive begging needs to be stopped and people abusing the unemployment system, supplementing their benefits by begging should be prosecuted. People who say we need to address the problems of why people beg are obviously preaching to the converted. However, do they want to pay more in TAXES to pay for the help they need. I guess they will say no.
Scott Wallace, UK/Japan

I live in Bristol and am unable to walk anywhere without being approached and asked for money. I am perfectly happy to buy food and drinks for genuinely destitute homeless people but I feel that addicts begging to fund their habits should not be our problem. If our drug laws were realistically modernised and updated the chain of addiction and crime would be broken.
Nina, UK

�22,000 a year drug habit. That is more than I earn, and he gets that just from begging, yet it is the state with my tax payers money who should be helping him. Is it just me or does this seem wrong? Yes, get him of the streets and send him into a detention centre, forcibly detoxify him, and then perhaps he can get a job and start paying taxes to help me and the over stretched NHS.
Leigh, England

I used to temp in a pub, and twice a day a chap whose territory it was outside would come in and change his coins. Generally he'd have about 80 quid which he wanted in fivers and tenners. So there's no way I'll ever just give anything to a beggar again. That said, if a guy is prepared to try to earn his cash by juggling or playing a recorder or something to entertain the public, then he's much more likely to get my shrapnel.
Bob Campbell, UK

Begging is a public nuisance and while I may have sympathy for the genuine cases, people just looking to feed their drug habit should not be allowed on the streets. Many times I've seen beggars pulling out �50 notes to buy their cigarettes or alcohol. Some of these people "earn" more money a year than I do, they should be kept off the streets.
Craig, America - Former UK

The law should be more compassionate Niki, UK

Begging in indeed a sad reflection on our society where people who are abandoned by the system/government are forced to eek out an existence from the generosity of others. You will find many beggars are harmless though personally I have had more experience with the violent and aggressive ones. The law should be more compassionate and instead of incarcerating these people they should use the law to ensure that those with addictions get professional help courtesy of the NHS.
Niki, UK

These injunctions will clog up the legal system, waste police time and use taxpayers' money but they won't stop begging. It will always occur as long as vulnerable people are unable to access the housing and support they need.
Adele, UK

Begging should not be tolerated even if they aren't threatening or violent, but I don't think banning beggars from certain cities is the way to go either. We should be helping these people. They have got themselves into a mess and can't get themselves out of it, why can we not channel some of the money used to support immigrants to our own people and assist with rehab and safe houses to help these people out of the hole they have got themselves into.
Helen, UK

In the 21st Century, with our welfare state and elaborate benefits system, I find it hard to understand why there should be beggars. While Leonard Hockey's legal advisors say he is not a public nuisance, that is only their opinion. All too many beggars hunched with their dogs next to car park pay machines are an intimidating presence and cause people to worry about their personal safety. It's about time Leonard Hockey gave up illegal drug taking and illegal begging to feed his habit and sought treatment!
Adrian, UK

This afternoon I'm going to quit my job and become a beggar. My income will double, no performance reviews, no one complaining if I'm late for work, unlimited holiday and you can't get sacked!
Ian, UK

Nobody is born in the street with a paper cup in their hand David, Canada

No beggars should not be tolerated. The VAST majority of these people are scrounging not because of something someone else has done to them but because something they have done, nobody is born in the street with a paper cup in their hand! So what if he is begging to feed a drug habit, he should not have a drug habit and therefore should not need to beg. These people are vermin and if they really were interested in helping themselves they would be knocking at the doors of the various charities set up to support them. Why should I help someone who does not wish to help themselves?
David, Canada

Which came first, Leonard Hockey's homelessness or his drug habit? It's easy to presume that 'taking drugs makes you homeless' but often drugs are a last refuge in horrific personal lives. And there isn't always someone to 'blame' for that. I'd also like to bet that the cost of Hockey's habit is not wholly subsidised by begging; this is probably a police estimate of cost based on consumption. Leonard Hockey could declare a wish to become drug-free tomorrow; how quickly could he access treatment and would he have a safe, drug-free environment to live in once treatment was completed? And for those who condemn our fellow citizens as 'vermin' - go spend a week in a homeless hostel and see how long you'd last without drugs.
Michelle, Scotland

Maybe if we also all close our eyes as well we can pretend there are no problems in the world.
John Sterianos, South Africa (Living in London)

The only reason these beggars are around is because there are soft people who feel sorry for them and give them money to fuel their drug habits. I have a friend who offered a beggar a loaf of bread from his weekly shopping only to have it thrown back in his face because they could not buy drugs with it. There are genuine hard luck cases out there, but if you feel the need to contribute then please give your cash to a registered charity like Shelter. By giving to the individual you never know what they are going to spend it on.
Paul, England

If begging is illegal, then why are charity workers with coin collectors still allowed to ask you for money on the streets? They are equally annoying as beggars and generally smell worse.
Scott N, England

If you want to help the genuine beggars out there, give your money to one of the many charities that deal with homelessness. Many beggars have genuine problems (drug and drink habits) which will only be helped if they have rehabilitation provided. Many others however are just "professional" beggars, with no genuine need at all. Either way, giving money directly to a beggar either just feeds their habit, or is just going into the pocket of a real criminal. Put the money in the hands of organisations who can help the genuine beggars.
Robbie, UK

People don't willingly choose to have this life thrust upon them Peter, Ireland

I can appreciate that people feel intimidated and uncomfortable with people begging at ATMs, street corners, etc. Their removal would undoubtedly make people feel a little easier but I would also fear that once they are out of sight the plight of homelessness would be allowed to slip down the list of social priorities to be addressed. It is very easy to lump all homeless people together as either drunks, junkies, or whatever label is deemed fit. It's always easier to deal with a label than to see the person.

There are many homeless people who use neither drink nor drugs. They may be homeless because of problems in their home life. Imagine the desperation a person must experience if sleeping in a shop doorway and feeding from bins or handouts is still a preferable experience to what they would face at home. People don't willingly choose to have this life thrust upon them. Every person on the streets like this has their own story to tell, and often it is quite a harrowing one. Everybody was somebody once.
Peter, Ireland

I work in Manchester, am involved in an outreach project serving the homeless of the city, and would like to know what alternatives to begging this man has been given. There are a lot of desperate, genuinely destitute people on our streets, but there are also a lot people who choose to be there (as it may be all they've known for years) despite having been offered the help they need to rejoin the rest of society. We have so many opportunities in this country to make the best of ourselves, gain a good education, remain healthy and contribute to community life. I believe it is the duty of every British adult to make the most of these opportunities and find it offensive that anyone should reject such privileges, preferring to 'free-load' off society than contribute to it. I am in no doubt that this man needs help rather than punishment, but is he still begging because help hasn't been offered, or because he's refused to take it?
Heather, UK

No-one should have to beg. But unfortunately, we have failed for some people. What's this poor guy going to do now? Theft? Mugging? Breaking into shops? I hope that the council are giving him the help and support he needs, to get off drugs and sort out his life, and not just cutting off his only source of income.
Rick, UK

He chose to take drugs. He chose to begin an activity that would result in addiction and that he knew he couldn't afford. Drug addict beggars should not be tolerated, and not a single penny should be given to them by anyone else. But this should be manifested through choice, not law. I do not believe begging should be illegal, since it is their freedom to do so, and the freedom of us to give. I would happily give to those who have fallen into the homelessness trap which I know is fairly easy to do in this country. The law should have no compassion for those who do not try to help themselves, and drug addicts are the most ridiculous case of this. For �22,000 a year this man could rent a flat, feed himself properly, pay for a training course and get a job. He has chosen otherwise. The responsibility for his welfare is not ours, it's his.
Patricia, UK

Patricia: Do you really think that people voluntarily choose drug addiction? Chose to feel socially inferior, an outcast? With low self esteem, low self-confidence? What about smokers who 'choose' to smoke? If they get cancer do you just say 'tough luck mate, you chose to smoke so you deserve what you get?' I hate to think what the reaction would be to a drug addict burglar... take him out and hang him I suppose.
Gary, UK

What annoys me is the backwards priorities of the legal system in this country Paul, England

I don't mind someone begging in a non-violent, non-threatening way, so long as they don't mind me saying "No" - I'd rather pay a Big Issue seller more than the cover price. What annoys me is the backwards priorities of the legal system in this country. The police claim they don't have the resources to respond to 999 calls for burglaries in progress. They also complain that one arrest takes up to 5 hours to process the paperwork. But the police have the resources and the time to arrest one non-violent beggar nearly 100 times! The courts complain that their workload is too heavy, but they are prepared to waste their time and our money prosecuting that same beggar! What an efficient and effective use of resources - not.
Paul, England

I have no sympathy whatsoever. This guy earns more money than I do! I pay my taxes, national insurance etc, and that money's being used to pay for this reprobate going to court and back to no end! Sling him jail and make him work for his money, sewing mail bags or whatever it is they do these days!
Andy Green, UK

Begging is a never ending story, it happens in the UK and anywhere else in the world. We have to live with it because is the price that society pays because of the wealth of many people, and the poverty of many more. Of course begging is an additional problem when it involves an addiction such as drugs or alcohol and in that case, what this people need is help. We cannot do that just getting rid of them by putting them in jail, that is hiding the problem and what is worse, ignoring that our society has got a big issue to sort out!
Belen, Spain

This just another 'Blunkett Blunder' isn't it? Why doesn't that guy think things through first?
Richie, UK

Begging is intolerable. No one in Britain needs to beg, unless they have a drug habit; all destitute people receive enough benefits to live on. I'm sick of being waylaid by these scroungers every time I go into town. I've even seen people offering them work, only to have the offer thrown back at them with added abuse. They are scroungers and an eyesore and they have no right to impose themselves upon us.
NK, UK

I feel intimated by them at cash machines Paul, England

I feel sorry for beggars but feel intimated by them waiting at cash machines, pay and display machines in car parks, etc. From my experience a large percentage of beggars tend to be drunk and get abusive when I don't give them some change. I once made the mistake of giving a guy some of my spare change in the morning only to have him in a drunken state shout at me in the afternoon for not giving him some more.
Paul, England

Begging should not be 'tolerated', begging should be stopped - and I mean that in the sense of providing homes for people. We are one of the richest countries in the world, yet some people are forced to live on the streets because the safety net fails them. Certainly there are some people who choose that life, but there are many that don't and we have a moral duty to help them.
Katherine, UK

The cost of the drug habit is high because it is illegal and underground, legalise it (with controls) and remove the major problems caused to others (thefts, burglaries, begging etc). We shouldn't legislate to protect people from choices they want to make; we aren't born to play a role in society.
Russ H, UK

Again the middle classes completely avoid the problem. The ONLY way to get beggars off the street is to deal with WHY they are there in the first place NOT to arrest them! Needless to say that if Manchester is adamant to do this and arrest innocents like this, I will not be travelling there for any reason and my money will be spent in towns with a more social attitude.
Vish, UK

Perhaps Vish hasn't been anywhere that prolific begging is a serious epidemic and has the vision of a couple of poor people begging to buy a sandwich which is annoying better off snobs. Try Nottingham City Centre. It's impossible to get money out of any cash machine without being asked for change. It's impossible to walk through town at most times without being asked to buy the Big Issue at least 3 times (which while I have sympathy here, there are several who are touting one old copy only to be able to ask you for some change after). Luckily in Nottingham the beggars are fairly reasonable as long as you acknowledge them and politely say 'Sorry mate'. I agree with dealing with the core issues, but usually it's one of two things: 1) drugs/alcohol habit and prevents them going through the system (which itself has issues) 2) Because it can be lucrative and easy money for fakers to supplement other benefits. Nottingham has at least made an effort to provide places where people can donate money to the homeless without it going to fund a habit or to cheats.
David, UK

In reply to Vish. You seem to have a very naive viewpoint when it comes to this subject. Have you ever taken time to speak to beggars instead of flinging money at them? All of the beggars I've spoken to have admitted to having a drink/drug habit which they have chosen to embark on. They are not the innocents you seem to describe, indeed they appear to be experts in making a tax free income to fund their habits. The only innocents here are the people gullible enough to use their hard earned wages to help these people fund their drink/drug habits. Whilst I agree people need to be offered a way out of this life style via rehabilitation, as a society we must make it clear that begging as well as having a drink/drug habit is totally unacceptable behaviour. if the only way to do this is to ban begging then so be it.
Cath, UK