Great Strategy Strong Campaign!

City Mayor Phil Bateman said today " You have to hand it to the strategist's that have devised this campaign to rid prostitutes from Wolverhampton streets!. They seem to have designed a campaign that is hard hitting and informative....not exactly want you want if you do not want your neighbours to know that you are a prostitute or a kerb crawler! "

That is what is happening though with the local evening newspaper the Express and Star playing its role in naming and shaming users. I just feel that it is important to congratulate everyone that is involved in this important initiative. I am sure that there will be some negative comments. But the decision to use this type of campaign is in my opinion very brave, and it does seem to have the full support of the community, well done everyone concerned! "

Wolverhampton has declared the city a no-go area for kerb crawlers in a new initiative designed to kill off its dying street sex trade.

In just two years, 65 men have been arrested for kerb crawling in Wolverhampton: 90% of these have resulted in convictions.

Now a public and voluntary sector partnership group hopes a hard-hitting campaign launched today (Tuesday February 21, 2006), will kill off the trade once and for all.

Prostitution Task Group chairman, Dr Adrian Phillips, Director of Public Health, said: “This city’s determination to kill off the street sex trade is really beginning to pay off. Our vice team is making more arrests and the number of women operating in the trade is reducing year by year.

“All Saints and Parkfields, the areas traditionally tarnished as the city’s red light district, are being transformed thanks to the multi-million pound ABCD New Deal for Communities regeneration scheme.

“ABCD has invested almost £700,000 to defeat the street sex trade and is working with partners to ensure that the huge Royal Hospital site is finally redeveloped as well as the Cable Street industrial area.

“Now we’re building on these successes with a poster and leaflet campaign which tells kerb crawlers to ‘get out and stay out’ of our city. And it warns them that if they persist in perpetuating this nasty trade, they run the risk of losing their driving licence, their reputation, even their liberty”, he added.

The campaign has been put together with the help of community members whose lives have been blighted by street sex. Local people especially women and children are too scared to go out after dark for fear of being accosted by kerb crawlers.

Dr Phillips continued: “The campaign is direct and hard hitting and sums up the attitude of the community to kerb crawlers.

“The strong imagery also reminds would-be kerb crawlers that their actions literally belong in the gutter”, he added.

The posters feature a dramatic image of a kerb crawler trapped in the gutter with the headline: “Kerb-crawlers end up behind bars.” The strapline reads: ‘Wolverhampton hates kerb-crawling. So get out & stay out!’

The CrimeStoppers telephone number - 0800 555 111 - features prominently to encourage the public to call anonymously with information about kerb-crawling.

In addition, the message KERB CRAWLERS FACE A DRIVING BAN will be displayed on electronic sign boards on major routes in and out of the city.

The Task Group aims to kill the trade by the end of 2006 with an action plan that:

Improves intelligence gathering on the trade
Supports sex workers out of the trade
Cleans up and regenerates the environment
Kills demand for the trade from kerb crawlers
City council leader, Councillor Roger Lawrence, said: “I’m very proud of Wolverhampton’s firm stand against the street sex trade which is rapidly dying. This campaign clearly signals our commitment to reclaiming our streets from the pimps and the kerb crawlers to make the city safer for everyone.”

Welcoming the campaign, Supt. Keith Baldwin, Operations Superintendent at Bilston Street Police Station, said: “The street sex trade in Wolverhampton is no worse than other cities. What’s impressive is our determination to be rid of the trade. The partnership of Wolverhampton’s public and voluntary organisations in tackling this old problem is proving to be very effective indeed.”