Beijing's transportation authority is to establish a database of beggars' personal information to crack down on begging inside subway trains, a move experts believe will not be effective. 

 

The database will be shared among police, subway employees and transportation law enforcement officers to help detain beggars on the subway and help identify those attempting to turn a one-time practice into a profession. 

 

Law enforcement officers began patrolling the subway stations and detaining beggars on May 1, when a new regulation prohibiting begging in subway went into effect. However, to date officers have only warned beggars, a member of the corps' publicity department said. 

 

Beijing has been plagued by rampant beggars for many years. Over 100 beggars from different parts of the country rented bungalows in Jindingshan village, in Beijing's Shijingshan district, for many years, as the village was located just outside the terminal station of Subway Line 1. But most of them have since moved to other places after demolition work began on the bungalows in 2014. 

 

Under the new regulations, beggars will be stopped, warned and fined a maximum of 1,000 CNY (161 USD) if they are caught begging in a subway train. 

 

As of 15 May, 60 law enforcement officers stopped 124 illegal activities in the subway, including 33 instances of begging. But not a single fine was levied.

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