Begging

Has anybody noticed this Chinese looking boy that is walking up to people and asking them for money?

He does this on the Blackhorse Arms end of Tower Bridge Road, outside Tesco or just across the road from there. I believe he has a hearing impediment as he has a hearing aid. He is not aggressive as such but can be a little persistent and you have to be firm with him as I have had to on a couple of occasions.


Its really weird as I have only noticed that he does this on the weekends but I have seen him around the Tower Bridge road area during the week and he does not approach anybody for money or at least I have not seen him do it during the week.
A couple of times whilst waiting for the Bus I have noticed him appear out of nowhere and make a beeline for cost-cutter on TBR then head for the phone-box. fine he may want change but his behaviour just seems a bit odd.

Just wondered if anyone else had noticed?

Yes I've seen him to, very weird boy. I've seen him around the area for a few weeks now. There is also another bloke who sits at the bus stop asking for cigarettes every morning. He stinks of alcohol and urine, had sandles on with dirty toes.

He has pestered us repeatedly over the last few weeks and last night I was also followed by a woman wanting money, who was persistent to say the least! I had to get rather lively with my language to get rid of her. I am normally fairly relaxed about begging but am now thinking of calling the local community police to alert them to this. Kind of reaching my level of tolerance when I am repeatedly followed up and down Tower Bridge Road.

On this subject, I haven't seen anyone post here about the four or five Polish men who are frequently to be seen arguing drunkenly - and sometimes demanding money, pretty incoherently - on Newcomen Street and Union Street, and less often near St George the Martyr. They tend to mind their own business, but I've had a couple of pretty testy encounters with them, not least because I know enough Polish to know when someone is calling me a c***.

longlaner wrote:

On this subject, I haven't seen anyone post here about the four or five Polish men who are frequently to be seen arguing drunkenly - and sometimes demanding money, pretty incoherently - on Newcomen Street and Union Street, and less often near St George the Martyr. They tend to mind their own business, but I've had a couple of pretty testy encounters with them, not least because I know enough Polish to know when someone is calling me a c***.

I think I know who you mean. I once came across these guys on a Monday morning, when two of them were racing each other in office chairs up Newcomen St. Quite surreal to say the least. They looked quite angry and intimidating, which seemed oddly incongruous with what they were doing.

I have just seen the dude in question on TBR he was outside the sweetshop which is on the corner of Decima Street an was being shouted at by the shopkeeper there. Just very odd that he only does this at the weekend!

I don't think it's just weekends, he's asked me for change several times before and I'm sure I was on the way to work during the week but it was after rush hour so there was only me and one other person at the bus stop (next to the newsagent/and opticians on TBR).

He asked several times in the 5 mins I waited , almost as if he'd forgotten he'd already asked!
But I've only noticed him in the last few weeks, wonder where he's suddenly appeared from.

If his behaviour is fairly predictable/regular, would a call to social services be in order? He definitely sounds at risk of something unpleasant.

Once this boy has collected enough he can be found feeding it into the slot machines in either the cafe or the bookies on TBR so please do not feel sorry for him.

Just to add to this - I saw the Chinese lad yesterday on TBR and tuesday last week waiting outside the new Tesco there, on both occassions he asked me for change. I also encountered him a few weeks ago by the Barclay's cash machine further up, where he hovered persistently around behind me and my wife when we were using the machine.