Prostitutes taking aim at Falmouth - Mayor rejects call for red-light district designation

Western Bureau:

With the 'Back Street' section of Falmouth now being overrun by prostitutes, who are descending on the seaside town in droves seven nights per week, some stakeholders in the Trelawny parish capital would like to see the area transformed into an official red-light district.

"It nah stop. Dem cyah control it, so dem might as well legalise it and earn some money from it," said a resident of the town who asked not to be identified. "It is working well in places like Amsterdam, so why not try it in Falmouth?"

However, for Falmouth's mayor, Councillor Colin Gager, the idea is an absolute no-go as according to him, this is in contradiction to his moral standing, which he intends to guard vigorously.

"I come into this position with a high degree of morality. I want to leave with that intact," said Gager. "Mayor Gager must never be associated with the ones who advocate for the legalisation of prostitution."

In also rejecting the idea, the Reverend Junior Rutty, the pastor of Agape Christian Fellowship, noted that most of the women are involved in prostitution for economic reasons. He is of the view that if legitimate sources of income generation were created, many of the women would turn their backs on the world's oldest profession.

Businessman Delroy Christie, the president of Trelawny Chamber of Commerce, had a hearty giggle when quizzed on the matter. However, he said: "Despite any gains that could be accrued, I could not support that kind of activity to become legal. There are things I hear which scare me, for example, human trafficking, but that's a police matter."

When The Gleaner spoke to Superintendent Clive Blair, the commanding officer for the Trelawny police, he said that the police were aware of what goes on on Back Street. He said plans were in the making to deal with the matter; however, he declined to give any details.

rural@gleanerjm.com