A PLAN to provide safe zones for prostitutes to work in Cardiff is set to be presented to councillors.
Residents in Grangetown heard that an increasing number of sex workers are making a living on the streets around the Taff Mead Embankment area at their local Pact (Police and Communities Together) meeting last week.
Now Grangetown Labour councillor Ashley Govier has a plan to tackle the issue.
He said: “This has been an issue that has been going on for centuries. It is not a new problem but in the New Year I want to present the idea of Safe Zones to the Labour group. I need the support of the party in order for this plan to go ahead.
“It is not particularly a council matter. It is something that will possibly have to be dealt with in cabinet. This is why I hope to have the support of the people in the Labour party.”
The safe zones would move sex workers away from residential areas and provide support to them as and when they need it.
Among the areas where prostitutes and their clients cause problems for residents are Cornwell Street and Court Road.
Inge Hanson, 57, of Dinas Street, said: “The prostitution seems to be going on in the Taff Mead Embankment area but the police seem to be working hard to curb this problem.
“The answer is to make sure that women or men that are prostitutes are getting the proper services to make sure they are safe. The neighbours around here make the police aware when they are in the area working then the police push them out.
“The issue is that they also get pushed out of the other areas they start working in and then they come straight back to Grangetown so the problem is not being solved in the long term.”
Mrs Hanson added: “The idea of safe zones is great. Perhaps they shouldn’t be called safe zones but people should definitely know where to go. I also think it should be planned extremely carefully because it is difficult to know whether these plans will work.
“At the moment the area where they kerb crawl is a no go area but as I said, the problem is not that they are prostitutes but the fact that they are risking their lives and are not being safe.”
In the past police community support officers have placed fences around the area to try and stop the problems.
Safer Wales Partnership also work to provide safety in Cardiff for sex workers by handing out health advice, snacks and condoms.
Police are asking residents to call 101 if they see any sex workers in the area.
