Prostitution plan hailed success

More than 130 men were arrested in a crack down on kerb crawlers

A strategy which aims to get sex workers off the streets in the Suffolk town where Steve Wright murdered five women is working, researchers said.

A team from the University of East Anglia (UEA) analysed initiatives put in place in Ipswich after the murders.

It found good progress had been made but there were challenges in the future if more secure funding was not found.

The Ipswich Street Prostitution Strategy offers women access to drug treatment, housing and health care.

The five-year initiative was launched in early 2007 after the discovery of the bodies of Tania Nicol, 19; Gemma Adams, 25; Anneli Alderton, 24; Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, in late 2006.

Dedicated officers

Wright was found guilty of all five murders in February this year after a trial at Ipswich Crown Court and told he would spend the rest of his life in jail.

Following the strategy - put in place by Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Police, health agencies and local charities - 33 women have been helped to stop working on the streets.

Releasing the report into its first year, Dr Fiona Poland, the UEA sociologist leading the research team, said: "Social workers, support workers, police and probation officers work directly with the women, and in liaison with staff from voluntary and statutory housing and health services and drug treatment agencies, to intervene to meet the particular needs of each individual."

As well as dedicating two female officers to engage with the women working on the streets, Suffolk Police launched a crackdown on kerb crawlers to remove demand for street prostitutes leading to the arrest of 138 men, the report said.

It added that the future success of the strategy would depend on the delivery of funding for the key groups involved, in particular, housing and drug treatment charities, and further efforts to tackle the reasons why men seek on-street sex.