English and Welsh Police Law Explained
Sep 15, 2026 · 15 min · 8 segments
In this episode we look at the new legislation replacing the Vagrancy Act of 1824. That is section 11, trespassing with intent to commit criminal offence and 12 Arranging or facilitating begging for…
Old Offences Before the legislation was changed this year, begging in England and Wales was principally dealt with under Section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824.
It made it an offence for a person to beg, or gather arms, in certain circumstances.
In practice, this meant that a person could be arrested and prosecuted simply for asking members of the public for money.
The legislation itself was more than 200 years old and formed a part of a much wider collection of laws dealing with vagrancy and people considered without lawful means to support.
Section 3 was not limited to straightforward begging.
It contained a number of different categories of conduct, including persons found wandering abroad or lodging in certain circumstances, as well as people who solicited money.
It also dealt with people who used certain forms of deception or fraud to obtain charitable assistance.
This meant that the Vagrancy Act was not simply a legislation against someone standing on a street corner with a cup, asking for change.
It contained a broad collection of offences reflecting the social conditions and attitudes of the early 19th century.
As time progressed, the legislation became increasingly criticised as outdated and disproportionate, particularly because it could criminalise people experiencing homeless or poverty for conduct that in itself caused little or no harm to others.
Over time, however, many of the more serious forms of conduct associated with begging could also be dealt with under modern criminal legislation.
For example, fraud, theft, assault, public order, harassment and anti-social behaviour legislation provided other mechanisms for dealing with persistent or problematic conduct.
This created an increasingly complicated situation where the old Vagrancy Act sat alongside much more modern criminal and civil enforcement powers.
The position finally changed on 29 June 2026, when the relevant Vagrancy Act provisions were repealed, with Sections 12 and 11 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 taking their place.
Old Offences Before the legislation was changed this year, begging in England and Wales was principally dealt with under Section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824.
It made it an offence for a person to beg, or gather arms, in certain circumstances.
In practice, this meant that a person could be arrested and prosecuted simply for asking members of the public for money.
The legislation itself was more than 200 years old and formed a part of a much wider collection of laws dealing with vagrancy and people considered without lawful means to support.
Section 3 was not limited to straightforward begging.
It contained a number of different categories of conduct, including persons found wandering abroad or lodging in certain circumstances, as well as people who solicited money.
It also dealt with people who used certain forms of deception or fraud to obtain charitable assistance.
This meant that the Vagrancy Act was not simply a legislation against someone standing on a street corner with a cup, asking for change.
It contained a broad collection of offences reflecting the social conditions and attitudes of the early 19th century.
As time progressed, the legislation became increasingly criticised as outdated and disproportionate, particularly because it could criminalise people experiencing homeless or poverty for conduct that in itself caused little or no harm to others.
Over time, however, many of the more serious forms of conduct associated with begging could also be dealt with under modern criminal legislation.
For example, fraud, theft, assault, public order, harassment and anti-social behaviour legislation provided other mechanisms for dealing with persistent or problematic conduct.
This created an increasingly complicated situation where the old Vagrancy Act sat alongside much more modern criminal and civil enforcement powers.
The position finally changed on 29 June 2026, when the relevant Vagrancy Act provisions were repealed, with Sections 12 and 11 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 taking their place.
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