Police consider profiling kerb crawlers

VICE police could begin to create psychological profiles of kerb crawlers in their bid to remove street prostitution from Ipswich within the next five years.

Suffolk police today said it was considering building up a detailed profile of the men caught soliciting prostitutes in the red-light district as a way of helping it to catch future offenders.

And the force is looking at making it a requirement for offenders to answer questions about their motives.

The move would represent an extension of the force's crackdown on the men who create a demand for the street sex industry following its early success.

After the force made 100 arrests in the first six months of the new vice crackdown, Chief inspector Bruce Robinson, Ipswich district commander, said there was currently little detailed information about the psychology behind kerb crawling.

He said: “It's another piece of work we need to do.”

When offenders are caught kerb crawling or soliciting a prostitute they are handed a caution and made to sign what is known as an Acceptable Behaviour Contract, which requires them to cease using street prostitutes.

The new measures could see a clause added into those contracts requiring the men to answer questions about their offending, thereby helping police to build up a more detailed picture of the type of men who seek the services of street sex workers.

Mr Robinson said: “Potentially they are serious sex offenders in the making. They may say 'well it's just something we do every now and then' but actually we may be building a profile on them as a potential suspect.”

Mr Robinson said he was surprised kerb crawlers continued to go out in search of prostitutes in Ipswich despite warnings of the police's zero tolerance stance. However he added that it was thought fewer men were now patrolling the red-light district.

The police crackdown is part of Ipswich's five-year street prostitution strategy, which was put in place following the killing of Ipswich sex workers Tania Nicol, Annette Nicholls, Paula Clennell, Gemma Adams and Anneli Alderton last year.

POLICE cracking down on Ipswich's illegal street sex industry could in the future turn their attention to the town's massage parlours, it was revealed today.

Suffolk police is concentrating its efforts on removing sex workers from the streets of the red-light district within five years but efforts could also be made to remove so-called massage parlours from the town.

Chief inspector Bruce Robinson, Ipswich district commander, said it was important to concentrate on the street sex industry - where prostitutes are considered to be more vulnerable because they are alone on the streets at night - but attention could later shift to massage parlours.

He said: “I don't think we've excluded work on so-called massage parlours.

“We recognise that street prostitution is one thing, 'prostitution' in a 'massage parlour' is another thing.

“We need to take first things first because we recognise these individuals are vulnerable. What can be more vulnerable than being on the streets and being prey to getting into someone else's car?”

Did you know?

As well as making 100 arrests in the first six months of the street prostitution crackdown, police sent 70 letters to individuals whose cars were seen driving around Ipswich's red-light district at night, asking them to explain why they were in the area. Most have heeded the warning and not returned.