PROSTITUTES could be banned from entering parts of Ipswich in a new police blitz on soliciting.Suffolk police could exploit a landmark court ruling that enabled West Midlands Police to issue a criminal anti-social behaviour order (Crasbo) against a prostitute.

PROSTITUTES could be banned from entering parts of Ipswich in a new police blitz on soliciting.

Suffolk police could exploit a landmark court ruling that enabled West Midlands Police to issue a criminal anti-social behaviour order (Crasbo) against a prostitute.

A Crasbo has the power to ban a person from loitering anywhere in England and Wales for three years and can also bar people from entering certain areas.

Inspector Tristan Pepper, head of a new crackdown on prostitutes in Ipswich, said: "Crasbos are an option that we would consider.

"However, there's a high cost to the public purse in enforcing such orders and we would have to consider that as well."

Operation Hesin – designed to eradicate soliciting in residential areas – has been

running in the London Road, Handford Road and Portman Road areas for two weeks.

So far, ten women have been arrested for soliciting during the operation, while four men have been arrested for kerb-crawling. Access-only traffic restrictions to certain roads have also been enforced.

In addition, 20 letters have been sent out to the registered owners of cars repeatedly seen in this area.

Insp Pepper said: "The main aim is to remove soliciting from residential areas because we have to accept that we're never going to eradicate it.

"It's gone well so far. The main way we've judged it is that there's a clear sign there's less activity in residential areas because of the enforcement that we've put in place."

Letters have also been sent out to residents asking them to note the details of vehicles repeatedly seen in the area.

Insp Pepper said: "We had a number of complaints about the anti-social behaviour of prostitutes in the area and the idea of this was to ask residents to gather intelligence themselves."