11-02-2002, 08:33 PM
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♦*♥Moderatrix♥*♦
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Join Date: Nov 2001
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Prostitute 'tolerance zones' scheme outlined
Councils could set up "tolerance zones" where street prostitutes could legally tout for business under proposed legislation which has been unveiled.
A private member's Bill in the Scottish Parliament would enable councils north of the border to legally designate zones similar to that which operated in the Scottish capital for over 15 years.
The city's unofficial tolerance zone in Leith was abandoned last December after a switch to another part of the docks proved unpopular with residents.
A similar policy has now been running in Aberdeen for more than a year.
Glasgow City Council rejected Lothians SNP MSP Margo MacDonald's proposals during consultation on the Bill.
The Scottish Police Federation also opposes it, but Ms MacDonald claims to have the support of officers who have been involved in the operation of the zones in the Lothian and Borders and Grampian force areas.
Supporters of the Bill argue that in comparison to cities such as Glasgow, heroin use and sexually-transmitted diseases in the Scottish capital was low, women's safety much greater, and child prostitution was virtually non-existent.
The prostitute support group Scot-Pep claims that in the 11 months since Edinburgh's zone was abandoned drug use and pimping has risen, while there is now evidence of children being involved in Edinburgh's sex trade.
Under the Bill, councils would have to consult with residents, the health service and police before setting up the zones, where the local authority's legal duty to prevent soliciting in public places would be suspended.
Designations could be objected to as "inappropriate", but a general opposition to the principle of the zones would not be grounds for appeal to the Scottish Executive.
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