A CLAMPDOWN on “aggressive begging” in Stockton High Street will continue in the coming weeks to stop shoppers being put off.

Enforcement teams at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council launched the crackdown this month on the back of messages from the public.

Marc Stephenson, from the council enforcement team, said begging was a national problem and offered an update on the efforts at Tuesday’s Safer Stockton Partnership (January 28).

He said: “We have put in a holistic approach around begging.

“We know genuinely there are no homeless people in Stockton – or any people that present as homeless anyway.

“The majority of begging in our town centre areas can be aggressive at times – and it does put people off.

“We’ve heard what people are telling us and we’re responding to that.”

Concerns about “mix-ups” in the difference between rough sleepers and beggars were aired at meetings in Stockton last year.

Neighbouring Middlesbrough rolled out a public space protection order in TS1 last November to crackdown on begging, bin-raiding and spitting with fines up to £1,000.

Mr Stephenson said Stockton Council was working with charity Change Grow Live, housing teams and social housing provider Thirteen to as part of the high street action.

He added: “We do a wrap-around service – we always offer support first followed by education.

“And then, when it comes to it, we’re not remiss to enforce and issue community protection notices to protect those who come into our town centres to shop or do business.”

Crime figures showed there have been 12,969 publicly reported offences in Stockton in 2019/20 – a fall of 533 crimes on the same time period last year.

Shoplifting rates were also down by more than a quarter in the borough (27.8%) in 2019 compared to 2018.

Chief Inspector Marc Anderson told the panel how the force was making greater use of “stop and search” on the streets and targeted patrols.

And Mr Stephenson welcomed statistics show Stockton was the only area in Cleveland with a reduction in recorded crimes.

He added: “Sometimes on social media people are entitled to their views, but the perception is not always the reality – certainly here in Stockton.

“Actually, things are going comparatively positively – or at least improving.

“There is still work to do but the message is positive and we should acknowledge that.”