Sadiq has welcomed the announcement by the Home Secretary that paying for sex from women forced into prostitution will be made illegal and the crackdown on the men who exploit them.  

On Wednesday the 19th November the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith published a Review entitled Tackling Demand, which set out tough new measures to protect vulnerable women and tackle the demand for prostitution by clamping down on sex buyers and kerb crawlers.

Police will be able to prosecute first time kerb crawler, and will be given new powers to shut down premises associated with prostitution – they have welcomed the new reforms.

Sadiq has been working extremely hard for a long time to combat the problem of prostitution in Tooting, in the Bedford Hill area of Balham.

He has lobbied the Home Office, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, Wandsworth Borough Commander Stewart Low and the Chief Executive of Wandsworth Council to make sure tackling prostitution and sex trafficking remains a high priority.

These tough new measures will protect vulnerable women forced into prostitution by a pimp or by traffickers and punish the men who exploit them. This will make a big difference to the prostitution problem in Tooting, as it will help those vulnerable women and act as a deterrent against kerb crawling.

Sadiq is also calling for Wandsworth Council to take action. Simple measures, like increasing visibility with better lighting and clearing away bushes, could help to deter prostitutes and make a considerable difference. Wandsworth Council could also learn from the efforts of Lambeth Council, who introduced 'dispersal zones' which were very effective in dealing with prostitution.

These new changes are part of the UK's wider strategy to deal with sex trafficking and prostitution. This summer, the police concluded Operation Pentameter 2 - a nationwide series of police operations to tackle sex trafficking and prostitution. 822 premises - including some in Wandsworth - were visited, 528 arrests were made, and 167 victims were rescued.

Sadiq is still campaigning to make sure that the current momentum is kept up and that dealing with prostitution and sex trafficking remains a high priority.

Sadiq said "These new measures will make a real difference in Tooting.

"But, even with this new weapon in our armoury, we should not be complacent. On behalf of local residents I will keep up the pressure to make sure that tackling prostitution and sex trafficking remains a priority.

"Prostitution, whether the prostitute is a victim of sex trafficking or not, is a real problem for the local community. That's why I've been campaigning, locally and nationally, to make sure that tackling prostitution remains a priority.

"Wandsworth Council need to take action locally to deal with this problem.

"Whenever anyone suspects sex trafficking they should get in contact with the police immediately and provide them with as much information as possible. They should not get directly involved themselves or put themselves in any unnecessary danger.

"Sex trafficking and prostitution are difficult and complex issues that require serious action - we can't solve this problem through gimmicks or by pandering to prejudices."

Local resident Ms Anna Turley said: “I live just off Bedford Hill and know prostitution can be a problem in this area. I am really pleased our campaigning has paid off with this new announcement, and that the focus is on deterring kerb-crawlers, as well as protecting vulnerable women. It feels like Sadiq and Jacqui Smith are really on the side of local people like me and my neighbours on this. I hope the council take note!"