Ipswich murders 'unprecedented'

The police have told people to look after each other

The police chief heading the prostitute murders inquiry has said his force is facing an "unprecedented" situation.

Suffolk Police Chief Constable Alistair McWhirter said: "Nobody has ever had to deal with this before."

Meanwhile, the parents of victim Gemma Adams have said they hope the culprit is caught "as quickly as possible".

Chris Mole, Labour MP for Ipswich, said: "We know that the police are throwing everything they have got at this at the minute."

Chief Constable McWhirter added: " If we think back to the Yorkshire Ripper, that was over weeks and months that those murders took place. This is unprecedented and we are dealing with it."

"All our hearts go out to the parents and friends of these poor girls John Gummer MP

Speaking of the discovery of two more bodies, he said: "We were shocked, of course, because we are human. It is not something we wanted but it is something we had been prepared for."

The senior officer said that resources had been put in place to help the force catch the killer.

He said: "I cannot guarantee to people that they are safe. They have got to look after each other."

Meanwhile, Ms Adams's parents, in a statement, said that heroin had "destroyed" their daughter.

Mr Mole echoed sentiments that the killer had to be caught as soon as possible.

Street safety

He said: "At the end of the day they are human beings. What they did for a living is their business but nothing should lead to their lives being ended in such a way."

Rev Andrew Dotchin, who is the vicar of Whitton, in Ipswich, said that support was available for prostitutes who want to get off the streets.

He added: "We regularly, in the evening, have a group of people who care, round about the time when the pubs empty, and make sure that people get home safely.

"Other than that, I'm saying, 'please if you want help, come and ask for it'."

Mr Dotchin went on: "There's plenty of help available. It's just to get the girls into a position where they can say 'I've had enough -- it's gone too far now' and get in touch with people in the borough council or the drug action team or the other projects that are well known in our town -- where we can help people to move on and assume a different kind of life."

'Loving girl'

A statement issued on behalf of John Gummer MP, whose constituency includes Levington where the latter two bodies were found, said: "All our hearts go out to the parents and friends of these poor girls.

"Our whole community will be supporting the police efforts to find the perpetrator, not least to protect our other young people."

Elsewhere, a relative of Tania Nicol, 19, paid tribute to the woman who was described as a "loving family girl".

Alhusain Nicol, 45, of Ringmer Road, Brighton, told The Argus newspaper: "She was just a normal, loving family girl who got in with the wrong crowd I suppose.

"Her mother did not know what she was doing. She did not know until the police told her."