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Name shame policy to continue

Staff ReporterEastern Reporter

At last week’s meeting, the majority of councillors voted against an officer recommendation to remove the names of two people convicted of street prostitution on its website and stop publishing the names of offenders.

The ‘name and shame’ website was initially launched after complaints about prostitution in Stirling Street peaked last year.

It was implemented along with a range of other measures, including extra CCTV and targeted police patrols.

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A report to council says since last August, when council first listed names on its website, ‘the number of complaints relating to street prostitution in Stirling Street has reduced to almost nil.’

But Cr Ros Harley said while she was initially concerned about the listing of names, it had proved an effective measure in stopping prostitution complaints.

‘If it’s working, we should keep doing it,’ Cr Harley said.

‘Prostitution is not going to go away, but it certainly appears to be mitigated.’

Cr Joshua Topelberg, who voted in favour of the recommendation, said that the reduction in complaints about street prostitution could not be solely attributed to the website.

There are still two names listed on the website, which will be removed on February 20 and March 29 respectively, after the set period of six months since their conviction has expired.