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To combat unwanted solicitations, the Winchester City Council has adopted an ordinance to prohibit aggressive panhandling.

“Aggressive panhandling” is a legal term for unlawful forms of public begging, and the problem in Winchester had reached a state where it infringed on residents and businesses, council members agreed.

Winchester Mayor Sean Crabtree said the panhandling problem came to a head when a person in a business was threatened with a knife. He added that the ordinance, which become effective upon the council’s unanimous approval on Dec. 12, airs the city’s stance on the issue and will give police a tool they need to properly enforce the law.

Winchester City Administrator Beth Rhoton clarified that the ordinance is geared to prohibit panhandling where someone is infringing upon someone else, and they continue to be persistent about it, offending the one being approached. She added that the ordinance is not intended to halt normal interaction among people.

The ordinance says that in recent years, there has been a substantial increase in aggressive solicitations or panhandling throughout the city of Winchester.

It says that aggressive panhandling, which usually includes approaching or following pedestrians, the use of abusive language, unwanted physical contact or the intentional blocking of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, is extremely disturbing and disruptive to residents and businesses and contributes not only to the loss of access and enjoyment of public places, but also to an enhanced sense of fear, intimidation and disorder.

The ordinance says the increase of targeted panhandling at locations where residents are a captive audience, in which it is impossible or difficult for them to exercise their own right to decline to listen to or avoid solicitation from others, intimidates people who are approached, interferes with privacy and security, impedes traffic flow, causes congestion and negatively impacts businesses within the city.

Such places include parking lots, intersections where cars must stop for traffic and crosswalks, the ordinance says.

Aggressive and targeted panhandling of customers as they enter and exit retail establishments has become increasingly disturbing to residents and business, has generated an enhanced sense of fear, intimidation and disorder and has caused many retail customers to avoid businesses within the city, the ordinance says.

The council agreed that nonprofit organizations and other entities that traditionally solicit donations for their causes will not be affected by the new ordinance because they are given the go-ahead to conduct their fundraisers through a permit process approved by the Winchester City Council.