This is a response to the letter entitled Polls, prostitutes and the press, by Vernon Daley which appeared in the Daily Gleaner of Tuesday, May 29.

While we applaud Mr. Daley for being concerned about the welfare of the prostitutes in New Kingston, we cannot support his stance that it was wrong for the police to arrest 19 of them last month. While we understand Mr. Daley’s concern about the prostitutes and his fear that they may be driven underground and away from HIV treatment, he is forgetting that these prostitutes, who he says should be left on the streets, are plying their trade right in front of people’s homes. It is not a pleasant situation to have prostitutes beckoning to you and and/or your guests and you drive home. Perhaps, if Mr. Daley wants to keep them on the streets he could offer space in front of his home?

We wholeheartedly endorse the police’s action; after all we are a nation of laws and not of opinions, and feel that the law should be amended to include some sort of rehabilitation programme as part of their sentence. Any solution to the prostitution problem must encompass both the Police and the Health agencies as the problem is both a law enforcement one and a health problem. We feel that the responsible way to solve the problem is to get them off the streets and into counseling/rehabilitation where they can get job skills and medical care. Leaving them on the streets does no one a favour, not us the residents, or the prostitutes who nightly put their health at risk and themselves in danger of physical abuse from their “customers”.