Kerb-crawlers who trawl Bradford's red-light district looking for prostitutes could find a letter on their doorstep warning them they could be one step away from court.

The move is the latest weapon in Toller Lane Police's battle to clamp down on prostitution in the city.

Chief Inspector Des Broster, who devised the letter, said it was brought in to allay fears among women who worked at businesses or who lived in areas used by prostitutes, such as the Thornton Road, Lumb Lane and Church street districts.

He said some were mistakenly approached by kerb crawlers which caused "obvious distress and nuisance".

The presence of the drivers also had a negative effect on trade and attracted prostitutes from outside Bradford.

Chief Insp Broster said at present the law did not allow his officers the power of arrest over kerb crawlers.

Those caught kerb crawling had to be summoned for interview, a time-consuming process.

But these letters, which could be sent out on the same day, acted as a "last chance" reminder to the kerb crawlers that the police were aware of their movements and the net was closing in.

Since the introduction of the scheme last October, 134 letters have been sent out with a number of men formally cautioned, he said.

The number of kerb crawlers had visibly fallen in the same period.

"This really is the last chance before they have their name and address appearing in the papers having been to court and convicted of kerb crawling.

"We want to deter kerb crawlers. We are not going to cure prostitution but we are going to make it as difficult as possible for kerb crawlers and this letter is part of that programme.

"If my officers see a car in a known red light area they will observe it. These areas are quite small and if the driver is talking to one or two prostitutes I'm not convinced they are looking for a light for a cigarette.

"A letter will be sent out to the registered owner of the car asking them to contact us by telephone and warns them about the possible consequences of their actions.

"If they give a reasonable account of why they were in that area, all they receive is advice.

"But there are those who ring up from mobile phones or telephone boxes saying it was their nephew driving the vehicle. They are the ones which rationalise our concerns.

"Where there is insufficient evidence for prosecution they're warned about their behaviour and the possible consequences.

"If there's enough evidence they will fall within the force's prosecution policy for kerb crawling and be taken to court."

Chief Insp Broster said if the registered owner could prove the car had been sold on to another owner the new owner would also be pursued and questioned.

He added: "This is not about destroying families but if people behave like this there a price to pay beyond going to court.

"Somewhere along the line we have go to make an impact and if men are behaving in this manner they have got to suffer the consequences."

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