The biggest crackdown on prostitution and kerb crawling in Southall’s history has resulted in more than 40 arrests and thousands of pounds in fines.
Operation Tolkien, carried out from July until September, saw police make an unprecedented push towards ridding the area of sex workers and creating a safer environment for residents.
Chief Inspector Colin Wingrove said: “This problem was originally raised during the Big Conversation events that we’ve held in Southall over the last couple of years. Women living in the area felt that they were being stared at and did not feel safe while walking the streets as they were afraid of attacks by men.”
So far, 41 men have been arrested. Of those, 24 have been charged and have appeared at Ealing Magistrates Court.
Sixteen have admitted solicitation-related offences. One admitted to sexual touching and soliciting.
Six denied offences related to soliciting, with trials to be set at a later date. One of the men was given a seven-day custodial sentence. Another failed to appear and a warrant has been issued. The remaining men will be returning on police bail in the near future.
Mr Wingrove said the court has put time aside for special all-day sessions to deal with the men involved. More than £4,000 has been issued in fines.
“Our response was to target the men who come to Southall and flock to areas where they harass women and harass prostitutes. We feel like people in Southall want to restore the area’s reputation and take some pride in where they live, and they want our help in achieving that.”
The operation has included focusing on hot spots for kerb crawling in Southall, as well as deploying plain clothes officers to pose as members of the public in an attempt to catch them.
Police are also working with Ealing Council to shut down brothels and close down houses of multiple council occupancy which are used by sex workers.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Ealing leader for community services and safety said: “This is unacceptable anti-social behaviour in our community, as everyone has the right to walk down the street without feeling intimidated and harassed. We will continue to work closely with the police to deal with this issue.”
Mr Wingrove said that Operation Tolkien will be ongoing in Southall, adding: “We want to put the fear into men who come to this area to solicit sex from prostitutes or harass women. They will never know whether they could be talking to a member of the public or a plain-clothes police officer.”
