A CITY VICAR has been assisting prostitutes, and has attracted the interest
of the police. The Vicar of St Andrew's, Nottingham, the Revd Richard Clark,
has been helping to run the Jericho Road Project, which offers support to 200
street prostitutes that gather outside the church or near to the vicarage.
Now the police are involved in the project. "The police have given the
Jericho Road project £1000 from their 'naughty boy' school for kerb-crawlers"
said Mr Clarke. This is a special day-school to help kerb-crawlers change their
ways.
"The police take the registration numbers of the cars of the people who keep
going up and down the district, and, if they can't offer a reasonable
explanation then, rather than name and shame them, they are asked to attend a
course," said Mr Clarke.
Mr Clarke already allows the vicarge flat to be used as a place where
prostitutes can be looked after and given some food. They can also store a few
items, and get some advice. He is in negotiations with the YWCA for one of its
buildings to be used for the project.
The Jericho Road project started in 2000 "because we don't walk past on the
other side". It became a joint-churches project in 2003. "We now have 50
volunteers from seven churches involved. We go out into the street and kerb
crawl. I am now an expert kerb-crawler, and I can identify a prostitute from a
member of the public quite easily," said Mr Clarke.
"We go out with one male and two female volunteers. The females will talk to
the girl, and offer them food and drink, and talk to them about help to leave
prostitution.
"Many of the girls are homeless or in hostels or sleeping on floors.
About 90 per cent are class-A drug-users . We care for the girls without
interfering with what they have chosen to do," said Mr Clarke.