SCOTLAND'S largest city is renowned for its friendliness, and its recent rebranding under the slogan People Make Glasgow was hailed as encapsulating the spirit of the place.

"Glasgow is a warm, welcoming and genuinely friendly city, because the people are," said council leader Gordon Matheson, who added that the new slogan "reflects the Glaswegian character".

David Grevemberg, the chief executive of Glasgow 2014, could not have agreed more: "Glasgow is a vibrant and welcoming city shaped by the warmth of its people," he said, "and this new brand captures this beautifully."

One wonders what Grevemberg will make of the fact Glasgow City Council is teaming up with Aberdeen to press for new bylaws that would effectively ban begging - a move some believe is designed to clean up the streets ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games.

Few would disagree that begging is unpleasant. The sight of men and women reduced to asking strangers for handouts is depressing. For the most part, however, no-one is more humiliated by the pursuit than the beggars themselves, and it is hard to believe more than a handful are working the streets out of choice, rather than necessity.

When Beijing ordered a social cleansing operation to clear away beggars, hawkers and prostitutes before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games, human-rights campaigners reacted with horror. When South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, reports that thousands of homeless people were being forced off Johannesburg streets attracted worldwide disapprobation - and with good cause. The idea of clearing the streets of the poor and destitute smacks of sweeping social problems under the carpet, and Glasgow would not wish to be accused of masking its problems before the world arrives on its doorstep.

No-one would disagree that the criminal gangs which operate begging scams should be brought to book for exploiting vulnerable individuals and taking advantage of the public's generosity. The way to tackle begging, however, is to address the social problems that lead people to beg. Homelessness, poverty and mental illness, along with drug and alcohol addictions, can all play a part, the problems as complex and varied as the individuals who spend their days touting for pennies. Addressing those issues is extremely challenging at a time when austerity measures are not only placing increasing numbers of people at risk of poverty and homelessness but also stretching welfare services to breaking point.

As an alternative, however, a ban would serve merely to camouflage serious social ills while placing increasing pressures on the criminal justice system. Matheson is right: Glasgow's people are its strength and friendliness is their hallmark. They are also, by and large, people who care. An attack on beggars would be unworthy of the city's leaders.