Easing travel rules could see the situation worsen, police warn
The number of mainland beggars coming to Hong Kong has increased significantly and the situation could worsen as more visitors arrive, police warned last night.
In the first two months of this year, police arrested 90 beggars from the mainland. The figure is almost a third of the 290 people arrested for begging last year. Just over 100 mainland beggars were arrested last year.
'The reason for the increase is the rising number of visitors coming to Hong Kong,' Chief Inspector Chu Hon-keung said. 'In 1997, there were only about 1.5 million mainland visitors, and in 2003 the figure increased to about 8.4 million.
'The numbers will continue increasing with the implementation of the individual travel scheme.'
But Chief Inspector Chu said the number of mainland visitors who had become involved in criminal activities since the restrictions were relaxed remained small.