Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Poncho

May 24 2009
Police taunt rough sleepers about the return of Operation Poncho, readers allege Rough sleepers in the City of London have reported being taunted about the return of Operation Poncho. They contacted The Pavement with their concerns that the City of London Police and Corporation of London policy, which sees rough sleepers woken in the middle of the night to have the area they sleep in cleaned with a cold water bowser, is about to re-start. But a spokesperson for City of London Police said that Operation Poncho was an ongoing policy to remove rough sleepers from the streets, adding there was no stopping or starting on police endeavours to move people indoors, particularly during cold weather. Readers have claimed that staff at Snow Hill police station, in the Square Mile of London, had been "taking delight in trying to wind people up" about the re-introduction of Operation Poncho. Groups of rough sleepers in the area were told that they could expect to see the bowser again the following Monday in January, but none appeared. Rough sleepers who have experienced Operation Poncho have reported feeling anxious about being woken up in the night, the disorientation of having their sleep disturbed and a deterioration in health from nights without peace.
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