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.”