ACPO backs Government’s decision on ‘tolerance zones’

ACPO has welcomed the Government’s decision not to introduce “tolerance zones”, but to encourage forces to take a tougher approach to kerb crawling as part of its approach to tackling prostitution.

The Government this month announced its long-term prostitution strategy, following on from the Paying the Price consultation in July 2004.

Enforcement measures within the strategy include the creation of a new penalty for the offence of loitering or soliciting for prostitution, as well as greater use of penalties such as removal of driving licences from repeat offenders.

Alongside the key aims of prevention, tackling demand, bringing more offenders to justice and targeting commercial sexual exploitation in off-street prostitution, the Government has also pledged to develop more routes out of prostitution through improved support and advocacy services.

Announcing the strategy, Home Office Minister Fiona McTaggert said: “Prostitution blights communities and the lives of those who participate. While kerb-crawlers could choose not to pay for sex, women involved in prostitution often have very limited choices in life. They come from difficult backgrounds, might have drug problems or nowhere safe to live. I want them to have help and support to leave prostitution.

“We will not eradicate prostitution overnight, but we should not turn a blind eye to this exploitative industry. I want to see a tough approach to kerb-crawling, combined with much better work to prevent children being drawn into prostitution and give those involved a route out.”

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Dr Tim Brain, ACPO lead on prostitution, said the strategy would provide “a much-needed focus and sense of direction for partnerships and agencies”.

“In order to impact positively on a trade which blights the quality of life of both individuals and communities and is invariably linked to illegal drugs and organised crime, it is vital that sex markets are disrupted. The best ways to achieve this are to invoke measures to ensure people, especially the young, do not get into prostitution, and to provide the necessary support to help those already involved to get out. We must also tackle demand, and one way to do that is to address kerb crawlers.

“It is important that the police and our partners listen to communities who suffer the nuisance of on-street prostitution in their neighbourhoods and fully engage them in the process of finding solutions. One such solution however is not so called tolerance zones or managed areas. I believe the Government is right to reject the option of creating such areas.

“Managed areas are based on the principle that prostitution is allowed, but no other illegal practices are. If that is the case then you are forcing the women who are drug users or who are being pimped, away from the managed area and further into danger.

Furthermore, most women involved in prostitution prefer to work in residential areas and men requiring services require anonymity, neither of which is feasible in a managed area.

Most importantly however is the message given out by such areas that prostitution is acceptable.

“The strategy calls for the police to be more proactive in dealing with those who profit from prostitution by exploitation. Of particular importance are children and those trafficked both from abroad and within the country. As an organisation it is also incumbent on us to ensure those who are involved in prostitution have the confidence to come to us when they have been the victim of such coercion or indeed abuse or assault by anyone.”

The plans were criticised by both Conservative and Liberal spokesmen. Shadow home affairs minister Edward Garnier said more should be done to tackle the underlying social causes of prostitution while Mark Oaten, then the Liberal’s Home Affairs spokesman said: “We support the piloting of managed zones in designated areas of cities, subject to a code of conduct and regular contact with police and health workers.

“The object of these zones is not to tolerate prostitution but to m