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with 'SWINDON NEWS'
New plan to curb the crawlers
7:20am Saturday 4th October 2008
IT IS the world’s oldest profession and has blighted Broadgreen for more than 20 years, but Swindon police are now determined to put an end to the town’s prostitution problem.
Swindon’s top cop, Chief Supt Paul Howlett has devised a new strategy to get the women off the streets, keep them off drugs and clear the kerb crawlers out of Broadgreen.
Police, working together with other agencies, want to get to the root of the problem by stopping the punters in their tracks. Kerb crawlers will be traced and prosecuted.
Vehicles seen cruising up Manchester Road and County Road will have their details recorded through CCTV, automatic numberplate recognition technology in police cars, and through information.
“It is very clear prostitution has been a persistent problem in that small confine area of Swindon for many years,” he said. “In the past we have undertaken operations which have temporarily removed the problem, but then it slowly comes back.
“What goes with prostitution is crime. Many sex workers are drug addicts, who commit crimes to finance their habits.
“There is also crime whereby prostitutes are victims. We have had recent convictions for the abduction and rape of prostitutes and clearly they put themselves in harm’s way.
“There are a number of ways of looking at the problem.
“We will look at arresting the prostitutes and put equal efforts into arresting kerb crawlers. Attacking supply as well as demand. We will be collating vehicle registration numbers if we see the same vehicles returning to the Broadgreen area with no apparent legitimate reason.
“We will be writing to the owners of the cars advising them there is an operation taking place and that the area is associated with prostitution.
“If people are caught kerb crawling they are likely to go to court and likely to be fined and could be disqualified from driving.
“The letters alone could have a detrimental effect.”
Chief Supt Howlett said that police would be working with drugs, housing and education workers to encourage prostitutes to stay off the streets for good.
“There is no suggestion the police are going soft on this,” he said. “We will be conducting both overt and covert operations. It is about detection, enforcement and education.”
Your Say YourSwindon
P3 NAS Mark II, Swindon says...
9:00am Sat 4 Oct 08
If the police have a presence the women will go to more secluded areas to find 'punters' and put themselves in even more danger.
The area is a poo hole, worse than any council estate in Swindon in many ways, the prostitutes add some character.
Bobfm, South Marston says...
9:48am Sat 4 Oct 08
With some police officers with the subtlety a bull in a china shop, you can imagine the scenario can't you. Attend registered keepers house. Partner in kitchen, police in lounge with RK. Can you give us an explanation as to why your car has been scene late at night in Manchester Road on more than one occasion. Need I say more.
BWB, SWINDON says...
11:20am Sat 4 Oct 08
If people are caught kerb crawling they are likely to go to court and likely to be fined and could be disqualified from driving.
Absolute RUBBISH.
For a start. The belief that some one has committed an offence is NOT
enough without enough evidence to
take It to a court.
A stranger to the Town could In fact be genuinly lost,quite easily
take a wrong turn,then have to go over the same rout again.
The Police would do better at going after Muggers,and other street crime
which Is rife In Swindon.
So enough of the veiled threats,get on with high priority crime,If you can.
Mick12, Swindon says...
11:23am Sat 4 Oct 08
Big Mac, Old Town says...
11:41am Sat 4 Oct 08
Manchester Road has been a byword for Swindon's Red Light District for well over 25 years and it's not about to change now.
Unless, of course, the police have never bothered dealing with the prostitution issue at all over the last quarter of a century?
More worryingly, I have seen two of Manchester Road's most notorious drug addict prostitutes plying their trade on Commercial Road during the middle of the day lately.
As others have said, let's please at least keep their activities confined to the Broadgreen area which, over the past few years, really has become a vile little area.
Leeroy lovejoy, Swindon says...
5:00pm Sat 4 Oct 08
Big Mac wrote:"More worryingly, I have seen two of Manchester Road's most notorious drug addict prostitutes plying their trade on Commercial Road during the middle of the day lately".Big Mac
Mick12 is right, how many times have we read and heard this tired old story? Manchester Road has been a byword for Swindon's Red Light District for well over 25 years and it's not about to change now. Unless, of course, the police have never bothered dealing with the prostitution issue at all over the last quarter of a century? More worryingly, I have seen two of Manchester Road's most notorious drug addict prostitutes plying their trade on Commercial Road during the middle of the day lately. As others have said, let's please at least keep their activities confined to the Broadgreen area which, over the past few years, really has become a vile little area.
Well they have easy access to legal representation on Commerical Road
Mum's The Word, Walcot, Swindon says...
6:21pm Sat 4 Oct 08
Concerned of Wiltshire, says...
7:54pm Sat 4 Oct 08
How much?
TheBlackHand, Swindon says...
9:10pm Sat 4 Oct 08
The real problem and i am being serious now is that most of these girls are probably being controlled and forced to ply their trade once they have been introduced to drugs etc and become dependant on the drug. So the police should firstly destroy the demand and then sort out the people who put them on the streets.
john c, swindon says...
8:28am Sun 5 Oct 08
Just as long as the peoples details that you publish are actually curb crawlers, a friend of mine had to drive slowly up and down 3 times last week, he was looking for National Windscreens and did not know they had moved as the yellow pages still shows them in Manchester Road.
Ankh, Morpork says...
9:28am Sun 5 Oct 08
Wise man, Swindon says...
9:46am Sun 5 Oct 08
Do they realy think that they can stop the oldest profession in the world, with a bit of hi- tech?
No chance whatsoever, in fact they would be better off setting up "safe" places for the girls to work in.
Let's see where we are this time next year shall we?
Another problem is that some people my be going about their
normal business by driving through this area several times.
If they get a letter, then I would suggest they woud not be too happy about it, and would probably cause a huge fuss.
As already said, these punters have to be cauight in the act, not merely be seen driving in that area.
I can't help but wonder if this is nothing more that than posturing, in an effort to stop kerb crawling, and if so, that will be doomed to failure as well.
Wise man.
Earl Lisly, Swindon says...
1:41pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Big Mac, Old Town says...
10:05am Mon 6 Oct 08
Earl Lisly wrote:And I'm very concerned at your accusation that I'm discrimating against anyone.
Big Mac et al, I am very concerned about your discrimination over these sex care beneficiaries, who do indeed have Rights like the rest of us. Let us not forget that publishing the faces and names of said beneficiaries would infringe upon said Rights.
Could you please point out where I - as you named me specifically - suggested that these people's names and faces should be published?
As you'll note, if you actually read my post, I didn't make any reference to it at all.
Feel free to apologise at your earliest convenience.
Karen Leakey, says...
9:22pm Mon 6 Oct 08
As I have offered you previously why dont you take up my offer and come here and meet some of the people. You never know, with a bit of luck, if we manage to displace this problem it may end up on your doorstep!!!!
Big Mac, Old Town says...
11:25pm Mon 6 Oct 08
I have been through Broadgreen many times. I actually use some of the grocery shops there because they stock produce that nowhere else in Swindon does.
However, I am certainly not 'small minded' as you suggest, so please refrain from the ad hominem attacks if you don't mind.
A family member of mine used to live on Graham Street (Manchester Road end) but eventually had to sell her house and leave after being harrassed by certain sections of your 'community', witnessing a rape, having a death by overdose in nearby garage, being continually approached by people looking for prostitutes, having her car broken into three times and her house broken into twice.
She actually only lived there for 18 months!
We all know you live in Broadgreen and we all know you see it through rose tinted glasses, but ask just about anyone who doesn't live there what they think about Manchester Road and 9 times out of 10 you'll get exactly the same answer.
It's is not those who know what Broadgreen is like that are 'small minded', they're just realistic.
Anyway, best of luck getting rid of the same problem the area has been trying to get rid of for over a quarter of a century.
I wouldn't advise anyone to hold their breath...
swindonNF, Swindon says...
8:51am Tue 7 Oct 08
If police wanted to get to the root of the problem then they wouldnt target prostitution at all, they would launch a massive crackdown on drug dealers, particularly heroin and crack
If they take all drugs off the streets and make them unavailable, then all the crimes commited by drug users to fund their habits (prostitution, burglary, shoplifting, etc) will drop overnight.
I think that the police trying to tackle the symptoms (prostitution, shoplifting) rather than try and cure the overall disease (drugs) is rather short sighted of them.
Your sayYourSwindon
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Chief Supt Paul Howlett in Broadgreen
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Concerned of Wiltshire, says...
7:37am Sat 4 Oct 08
That statement concerns me. It's not for a policeman to judge if a driver has an apparent reason to be in a particular area. If the police were serious about stopping prostitution in an area they would arrest 'punters' as the deal was made.