TORY councillors in Edinburgh were left disappointed yesterday after the ruling Labour group shelved plans for a by-law to ban aggressive begging.
Instead, Edinburgh City Council will put existing legislation to the test over the summer when dozens of extra police officers are drafted in to protect visitors and citizens from harassment.
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Wood said genuine beggars would be steered towards help where feasible, but impostors and alcoholic pests would be dealt with firmly.
A telephone hotline will open this weekend for people to report harassment and CCTV cameras will be activated in the city centre next month.
The council's by-law plan proved more difficult than anticipated, particularly after an appeal court judgment last week which concluded aggressive begging did not necessarily constitute a breach of the peace. Problems could also arise when the European Convention on Human Rights is enshrined in Scots law.
Conservative councillor Lindsay Walls, who initiated calls for a by-law, said: ''What is coming through very clearly on the legal issue is that the police and legal people would welcome such a by-law. The council is in danger of misreading the mood of the Edinburgh public.''
Mr Tam Hendry, of the Edinburgh Streetwork Project, said a by-law would be ''the worst kind of social exclusion''.
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