Romanians sleeping rough in London have tripled just months after borders opened…

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Români în Marea Britanie ✍ Romanians in Great Britain

29 iunie 2014

1997

Romanians sleeping rough in London have tripled just months after borders opened… (and 2,000 are arrested in 12 weeks)

More than 1,000 charges laid for crimes ranging from murder to shoplifting
Aggressive begging, pickpocketing and prostitution on the rise
Romanian beggars seen washing in fountains and defecating in public
MP Mark Field calls for Government to take urgent action

The number of Romanian immigrants sleeping rough in some of the wealthiest areas of the capital has trebled since EU restrictions on movement were lifted in January.

The rise in vagrants is reported to have sparked a spate of aggressive begging, pickpocketing and prostitution, which is blighting exclusive London addresses such as Park Lane.

Revelations about the influx come after politicians dismissed predictions that there would be a fresh wave of immigration when Bulgarians and Romanians were given unrestricted rights to work in the UK on January 1. Yet now the problem has become so acute that Westminster Council is set to hold high-level talks with Home Office officials next week.

1,069 charges laid against Romanians in just three months

Figures from Britain’s biggest police force show that almost 2,000 Romanians were arrested in the first three months after immigration restrictions were relaxed.
The Metropolitan Police said 1,906 Romanians were held in London between January 1 and March 31, along with 220 Bulgarians.
These led to 1,069 charges against Romanians and 100 against Bulgarians, from murder to sex offences and shoplifting.
By contrast, in the first three months of 2013 there were 852 charges against Romanians and 76 against Bulgarians.
It means there has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of charges against Romanians this year.