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The killings and disappearances of women prostitutes working on the streets of Ipswich's red light district has opened up the debate about decriminalising the sex industry.ÌýÌýÌý A number of massage parlours are known to operate in Ipswich and the Â鶹ԼÅÄ's Guy Campbell visited 'Aquarius' on St Helen's Street near the old County Hall where they're employing extra security at the moment.

The manager (who didn't want to be named) says the girls are a lot safer there than out on the street:Ìý "Without a doubt. The street girls tried to turn the red light area (Sir Alf Ramsey Way near Portman Road stadium) into a 24 hour operation, but the police cracked down on it during the daytime. What's the difference just because it gets dark? You either accommodate it or you don't - there are no half measures."

So why do women work on the streets when they can work in a brothel? "They don't want to part with any commission.Ìý If a job pays £30, they want to keep the £30 - such are their needs.Ìý You've got to remember that some of these girls used to work in venues and chose to go back to the streets.

"The reality is that 95% of the girls who work the streets are drug addicts and that may be conservative. You simply can't do drugs at the venues.Ìý Sadly some people are impossible to employ at venues because of their addiction and because of the people in their lives as well.Ìý Sometimes they're looking after their partner's [drug] needs as well.

An Ipswich massage parlour

"You can't have them at your venue because it doesn't look pretty.Ìý It's a business, it's not tacky and you have to have standards like any other business."Ìý

One of the women working at Aquarius says the murders have led her to always get taxis: "I do feel sorry for the girls on the streets.Ìý I do socialise with some girls who work on the streets but they choose to work there to avoid the commission payments."

Accommodation offer

Aquarius' manager says they're looking for answers: "We have offered, as a temporary measure, this venue to street workers for a couple of nights a week and other venues could come in to.Ìý If we can sort out some sort of special licence with the authorities it could give us more time to think about a plan of action in the future.

"We could be part of the solution rather than the problem so we'll see what the reaction is - whether it's seized or dismissed or whatever.Ìý At the end of the day we either have a beat [for street workers] or you don't."

The Yorkshire Ripper case

Parallelshave been drawn with the Peter Sutcliffe murders across Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Manchester 1975-80.ÌýÌý The second in command during the West Yorkshire Police manhunt - former Detective Superintendent Dick Holland - says Suffolk police are offering good advice to all women to be careful: "Certainly we did that, because not all of the Ripper's victims were prostitutes.Ìý However, it had an adverse reaction with some women's organisations.Ìý The extreme left ones took the view that it was a man doing wrong and they should not be asked to keep away from certain streets, areas or activities."

Peter Sutcliffe - the Yorkshire Ripper

They ended up working long days: "We were doing 12-14 hour days.Ìý When my boss George Oldfield had his heart attack I worked for 30 days without a day off.Ìý The problem is that all the usual police activities such as football matches still have to go on."

Dick Holland says it's a big police operation: "It's just a meticulous collection and assimilation of material.Ìý The answer is there in the public's eye - you just have to get it.Ìý There is a slight advantage to the police in that when you get another murder from each one the assailant gets that little bit more careless and leaves a little bit more evidence.Ìý So a piece of information from murder #5 can assist in murder #1.Ìý So, it does help although it's a horrendous thing that murders are going on."

Ipswich Prostitute Steering Group

The multi-agency group goes out offering advice to street workers. Hannah Jo Besley is a community safety officer for Ipswich Borough Council: "The health team offers advice on drugs, injections, mid-wife support and that sort of thing.Ìý Some of them have got drug addictions - 98% of the women interviewed in a recent survey were on drugs.Ìý But they could also be raising money for Christmas presents or extra bits of food.

"They are part of the community.Ìý They may be working on the streets but they are women with the same needs and emotions that we have and we've got to bear that in mind.

"I don't think legalisation of prostitution is something to be talked about at the moment.Ìý I think we need to focus on the investigations, but I will say that it is a very complex issue."

Drug treatment

The Iceni Project in Ipswich offers treatment for addicts and drug-users can drop-in. Project manager Brian Tobin says addicts do use their services: "It's probably indicative of society as a whole.Ìý Whether we condone prostitution or not there are scant resources to get people out of the situations they're in."

Women are still working the streets in Ipswich despite the fact that sex workers have disappeared: "That's the desparate situation these girls find themselves in once they get on the slippery slope of addiction.Ìý Unfortunately, while male addicts commit other crimes to fund their habits, women often find themselves selling the only thing they have to fund their habit and it's very dangerous for them."

Police amnesty

Upon the discovery of two more bodies near Old Felixstowe Road to the east of Ipswich on Tuesday 12th December, Detective ChiefÌý Superintendent Stewart Gull said "We've made it crystal clear throughout.Ìý I'm not interested in any offences as far as soliciting is concerned. We've got one priority and that's to catch whoever's carrying out these killings."

Contact numbers

Anyone with any information should use the following phone numbers:

Police Hotline: 0800 096 1011
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111
Direct line for prostitutes who want to speak to Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Jaqui Cheer IN CONFIDENCE: 07624 210572