Ghent mayor wants begging outlawed

Ghent mayor Daniel Termont wants the federal government to take measures to prohibit begging, De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad report today. "So long as begging is not outlawed by the federal authorities, local measures will be useless," he says. Ghent has taken punitive steps against beggars who behave aggressively or impede traffic, but the policy is ineffective because most of them have no fixed abode. "This makes it a very difficult situation," says Termont. According to him, beggars are the victims of organised gangs. He called on the interior minister Joëlle Milquet. "I will add this item to the agenda for the next meeting of the mayors of the five major Flemish cities. Maybe we can make suggestions to the federal minister," he told VRT this morning.