ACTION: Introduce a ‘community call for action’

In the police reform White Paper, Building Communities, Beating Crime, we committed to introducing a power that will give local communities a formal way to request and ensure that action is taken by the police,
local authorities and others in response to persistent anti-social behaviour or community safety problems. Or if that action is not taken – they will know why not publicly.

We will place a duty on district level ward councillors to consider issues, and respond within a prescribed timescale. The majority
of problems should be resolved at this stage.

However, for particularly difficult problems the councillor will have a new power to refer them to the scrutiny committee of the local authority. The committee would have a duty to consider any referred issue and respond within a prescribed timescale. We will also
place a duty on responsible authorities, co-operating bodies and registered social landlords to respond to the committee’s report again within a prescribed timescale.

At every stage local agencies will have to make public the action they will take or the reason they will not take action.

Respect Action Plan, pp28

New law to permit small brothels

The law could be changed to allow two prostitutes and a receptionist or maid to work together legally in brothels, the government has confirmed.

Currently only lone prostitutes can offer sex from flats or other premises without breaking the law.

Launching the new prostitution strategy for England and Wales, minister Fiona Mactaggart said that working in groups would be safer for women.

So can anyone explain to me quite what’s going to happen when a ‘Community Call to Action’ is made which calls on the Police and Local Authority to shut down an entirely legal brothel or evict a sole prostitute working from a flat within the community that make the call for action.

In terms of prostitution, aren’t these two proposals inherently ccontradictory, unless local communities are somehow prepared to tolerate prostitutes working their local area – which from experience seem a highly unlikely prospect?