Brian Currie
Political Editor

Call for blitz on Glasgow Green vice girls

ANGRY families today demanded tough action on prostitution as new figures revealed soaring arrests of vice girls in Glasgow Green.

Around 700 have been detained in the area in the last year — but not a single male "client" has been prosecuted for any offence.

Now Shettleston MSP Frank McAveety is to meet Deputy Justice Minister Iain Gray to seek a change in the law to allow prosecution of kerb crawlers.

He said: "Local residents should not have to put up with men soliciting for prostitutes. Innocent young women making their way home through the Green are being approached."

He highlighted Glasgow Green, which has a family play area, the People´s Palace and many new houses — and where about 700 women have been arrested since last April, charged with offences including soliciting.

He wants the area cleaned up and says it is time that kerb-crawlers were targeted — no man has yet been charged with any offence.

Mr McAveety says he receives continual complaints from parents, community councils and other local groups about growing daytime street prostitution.

He is to meet Deputy Justice Minister Iain Gray and he is expecting a sympathetic response.

Mr McAveety said: "This would be worrying at any time but it is of particular concern because it is happening where there is a new play area, plus the People´s Palace and major regeneration.

"The tragedy is that most of these girls are also involved in drugs and this is a major social problem.

"The police have powers to arrest the girls, but I think they should have equal powers to tackle the customers.

"Local residents should not have to put up with men soliciting for prostitutes. Innocent young women making their way home through the Green are being approached.

"I will be asking Iain Gray about introducing legislation to tackle this."

Mr MacAveety wants to find out from England and Europe how they deal with the problem.

And he added: "We want to find ways to support these women and try to get them out of prostitution. And at the same time we have got to attack the demand.

"Giving more powers to the police might give people a sense that something is being done. These 700 girls have been charged with soliciting yet no man has been dealt with. That is unacceptable."

Homes of the Future resident Neil Baxter called for the "full might of the law" to be used against kerb-crawlers, who he said regularly scared female neighbours by propositioning them in the street.

Mr Baxter said: "The prostitutes are victims of drugs and poverty. It is the kerb-crawlers who should be penalised."

The Evening Times revealed last August that prostitutes were openly selling sex on Glasgow Green as hundreds of children enjoyed the summer holidays.

Police said they knew of the problem and were looking at ways of dealing with it.