Police at Xanthi churches to deal with beggars

Police guards have been posted in churches across Xanthi in northeastern Greece to deal with beggars that "harass" parishioners asking for money.

Local church councils asked for a "discreet" police presence after a proliferation of incidents involving Roma people from local areas as well as southern Bulgaria.

Mosques in Xanthi and nearby Rodopi are also faced with the same problem, local sources told Kathimerini, but have not asked for police protection.

According to local reports many of the beggars are allegedly bused in by organized gangs from Bulgaria.