MPs call for more police powers to halt kerb-crawlers

[Gary Kendall]

The Electronic Telegraph Monday July 8 1996

MPs call for more police powers to halt kerb-crawlers
By John Steele, Crime Correspondent

NEW police powers to arrest kerb-crawlers and legal sanctions against
"cruisers" who drive around red-light districts without approaching
women, have been called for by an all-party group of MPs on
prostitution.

The group also recommended that kerb-crawlers who are dealt with in
courts should receive endorsements of their driving licences or
community service orders.

It further urged the Home Secretary to deal more firmly with men who
use child prostitutes, a practice which its chairwoman, the Labour MP
Diane Abbott, said was showing "a very worrying rise".

The group made its recommendations after hearing evidence from police,
residents, local authorities and welfare groups and - for the first
time in an official inquiry, the group believes - from prostitutes
themselves.

It became convinced, it says in its conclusions, "of the ways in which
the street trade in prostitution, as currently practised, has
adversely affected a number of communities".

The group noted that there was no power to arrest kerb crawlers, only the
power to bring summary prosecutions

While the problems were not large enough to cause a national outcry,
"there can be no doubt that for those affected, the price they pay in
terms of nuisance and public safety is enormous".

The group's report urged the Home Secretary to carry out a
comprehensive review of legislation relating to prostitution. In
particular, it noted evidence that "in a number of areas kerb crawlers
and other customers are causing greater problems to residents of the
area than prostitutes, although they generally receive less formal
police attention.

"The disproportionate focus of attention on prostitutes was held to be
a consequence of the lack of police powers in relation to kerb
crawlers." Evidence showed that harassment by kerb crawlers was a
concern for women living near red-light areas, with incidents of girls
as young as 12 being propositioned.

The group noted that there was no power to arrest kerb crawlers, only
the power to bring summary prosecutions. Police evidence to the group
suggested that the lack of arrest powers was a "major weakness of
current legislation". The creation of a central index of cautioned or
prosecuted crawlers was also supported by police.

The group also noted that present legislation did not cover cruisers,
also known as "tourists" or "voyeurs", despite the fact that they
constituted an integral part of the nuisance and distress caused to
those who live in red-light areas.

It called for the introduction of powers of arrest of kerb crawlers
and sanctions to cover cruisers. The group did not support the
legalisation of prostitution, or the creation of "zones of
toleration".
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