Leader: Begging boxes

THE idea of installing charity boxes to collect donations for homeless charities at begging hotspots around the city was never seen as a complete answer to the city's problems.

That is probably just as well, as the evidence from similar experiments elsewhere isfarfrom encouraging, with Aberdeen abandoning a trial after disappointment at the amount of moneycollected andthe boxes attracting unwanted attention from thieves.

The situation in Edinburgh may be nothing like as bad asthat in many other European capitals, particularly when it comes to aggressive begging, but there isundoubtedly an issue here and one which appears to be increasingly affecting some areas.

Itmay be a relatively new phenomena in Morningside, but it is far from the onlycity neighbourhood where people have been leftfeeling intimidated. There have been countless attempts over the years to rid the Edinburghof the problem. Most have had a pretty limited impact, perhaps largely because they have failed to address any of the root causes.

Only a few years ago police estimated that addiction - either to alcohol or drugs - was behind 90 per cent of begging in Edinburgh. Today, the picture is more complicated, due to thepresence of organised gangs from Eastern Europe.

Charity boxes may be no more than a fairly empty gesture but thecity council is tobe commended for considering fresh approaches to what is an age old problem.

Andthe idea of hiring a part-time officialtogo out on the streets to try to get to grips with what is really happeningmay well be worth exploring further.

Your votes count

Congratulations to all the finalists in our Best of... 2010 Awards, from pubs, chip shops and post offices to unsung community heroes and devoted football fans.

The response since we asked you to vote for your favourites has been simply overwhelming.

The unveiling of the shortlist today will be followed by the announcement of the competition winners next week.

In the meantime, a big thank you to everyone who has voted, and we hope our finalists enjoy their well-deserved recognition.