Burnley kerb crawlers can expect a visit to their homes by police

Police patrols will be on duty in the Duke Bar area of the town throughout February with mounted officers and neighbourhood policing teams carrying out roadside checks to identify and prosecute offenders.

This comes as part of an ongoing drive to tackle street prostitution after members of the public highlighted concerns to local police officers.

As part of the crackdown, police are working closely with Burnley Community Safety Partnership, the Primary Care Trust and other support agencies working to reduce the number of women taking to the streets to earn money as prostitutes.

Burnley geographic Insp Mark Baines said: “Members of the public have told us they do not want street sex workers and kerb crawlers blighting their neighbourhoods, which is why we have launched this dedicated operation.

“It is not right that people should have to live with this kind of activity taking place outside their houses.

“Over the next few weeks, people living in the Daneshouse and Stoneyholme areas can expect to see more police officers on the streets as we work towards tackling these issues and improving the quality of life for the local community.

“I would ask kerb crawlers to carefully consider the consequences of their actions. They should be warned they face arrest, charge, a hefty fine or a prison sentence. We may even visit them at their homes.

“We find that many women have become sex workers because of drug and alcohol dependency issues and our partnership work addresses that. With this help and support our aim is to offer these women a route out of their current lifestyle, enabling them to turn their backs on prostitution.”

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