Labour: “Let’s name and shame”

New policy to stop kerb crawlers and drug tourists from visiting the borough

Lambeth Labour’s Lead spokesperson against Crime has announced an innovative new policy to stop kerb crawlers and drug tourists from visiting the borough. The plan means that people convicted of procuring drugs and prostitutes in Lambeth will find their identities published on a council funded website.

Councillor Peter O’Connell and his Labour colleagues believe that naming and shaming will make a huge contribution to tackling the blight of prostitution and drug dealing in Lambeth. With several hotspots for these activities in Streatham, Brixton and Clapham, law-abiding local people are often unable to walk the streets without being hassled. Drug dealing and prostitution also fund other forms of criminality in Lambeth.

Lambeth has a drug problem like nowhere else in the UK. Labour Councillors believe local people should no longer have to tolerate being harassed in the street by kerb crawlers and drug dealers.

Lambeth Police believe many, if not most, of the customers who provide the demand for dealers and prostitutes come from outside of the borough. The naming and shaming policy will provide an extra deterrent for drug tourists and kerb crawlers thinking of coming to Lambeth.

Labour will invest money to establish a sustained system which publicises the names and identities of those people convicted of purchasing drugs or procuring prostitutes. This includes a publicly available and searchable website.

Cllr Peter O’Connell, Labour's lead spokesman against crime:

“Although stiffer penalties and greater fear of detection are important in tackling the demand for drugs and prostitution, their effect can be limited. There is strong evidence to suggest that a ‘naming and shaming’ policy can have a significant impact.”

“It is the council’s responsibility to work alongside the police to ensure that Lambeth ceases to be a soft touch for drug tourists and kerb crawlers. Unlike the Lib Dems and Tories, Lambeth Labour is on the side of police and local people in tackling crime. ”

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