Beggars are travelling from Hastings to cash in on the kindness of Napier's residents to fuel alcohol, drug and gambling habits.
Hawke's Bay police sergeant Nigel Hurley said there had previously been begging incidents in Hastings but the problem was predominately centred in Napier.
Mr Hurley said while most beggars in Napier were Napier residents, some Hastings residents were begging on Napier streets also.
It appeared Napier was the begging epicentre of Hawke's Bay and Mr Hurley said it was due to the generosity of the public.
"The people of Napier are very generous that's why ... the word has got around that people give good tips in Napier."
Mr Hurley said police had been issuing warnings to people seen with illegal substances or at gambling sites just days after begging on the streets.
The Napier suburb of Onekawa was one particualr area feeling the pressure from crowds of cadgers, commuting or local.
Business owners said they had enough of customers being harrassed for money.
Onekawa Pharmacy owner Andrew Spence said begging incidents had spiked in the past few months, forcing the business to make several calls to the police every day.
"All of the sudden these people just turned up and started going about their business," Mr Spence said.