Smith's prostitution crackdown
- 00:00:52
- ITN
Smith's prostitution crackdown
New measures to crack down on prostitution have been unveiled. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has introduced plans for a new offence for those caught paying for sex. It will carry a hefty fine and a criminal record and is designed to crack down on pimps, drug dealers and people traffickers. Under the plans, lap-dancing clubs will fall within the same rules as sex shops and sex cinemas. Councils will have greater powers to control their spread and the clubs could face higher charges for licences. At the moment they are regulated like pubs and bars. Ms Smith told Labour Party conference this Autumn: "We will do more to tackle the blight of street prostitution. At the moment, only persistent kerb-crawling is outlawed. "In my book, once around the block is once too many - and so we'll make kerb-crawling punishable as a first offence. "We will give councils and the police new powers to close down brothels and clamp down on exploitation. "We'll give communities a stronger say in stopping lap-dancing clubs opening in their areas."
ITN | November 19, 2008
