AFTER more than 100 kerb crawlers were caught, a problem which looked like it would spark vigilante action was brought under control.

Now the whole community is involved in trying to keep a lid on prostitution and drugs in south Rochdale.

While he says he’s not naïve enough to suggest police will ever be able to completely get rid of what is often described as the oldest occupation in the world, Sgt Andrew Pilling says the commonsense approach and dedication of his team has worked wonders.

And he’s keen to point out that they’ve mounted the series of operations against kerb crawlers in the red light districts while also keeping on top of the other problems suffered in the area, such as youth nuisance, drugs and criminal damage.

In recognition of his work and his drive to keep the community informed and involved in tackling the problem, Sgt Pilling has been nominated for the Chief Constable’s Award for Community Focus.

He said today: “ More than anything else I want to stress that this is a team effort and the work we have done on this issue is just one element of our work in this area. I have co-ordinated what has happened, but there is a great deal of expertise among the people in the team we have here that makes this work.”

He said work to explain to the community why the women were involved in prostitution had helped calm tensions and that a lot was being done to monitor the situation and ensure those women working the streets to feed a drug habit were given help and advice.

He said patrolling in the area had also helped yield important information which had resulted in action to target those peddling drugs.

Meanwhile he said a lot of work had been done to clean up Broadfield Park which had been used as a hang-out for drinkers.

He said: “We have had some very positive feed back. It is all about communication.”

Over the course of the last two years a series of operations have been mounted in the problem areas, which has resulted in 100 kerb crawlers being caught, with many disqualified from driving and fined.

The others were warned about their actions and police found that very few re-offended.

Inspector Nadeem Mir who nominated Sgt Pilling said: “He has worked within this community for several years and has forged links with local community groups with a view to gaining an understanding of the crime issues affecting their quality of life.”

He said meetings with the community and local mosques about the issue of prostitution had helped persuade people not to take to the streets to tackle the problem themselves.

He added: “Feedback from the community confirmed a significant decrease in prostitution and Sgt Pilling has since developed a local Partnership and Community Together meeting which is continuing the excellent community engagement originally set up to deal with local problems.”