A group of men arrested for kerb-crawling in Clissold will find out whether they are being prosecuted next week.
The 15 men were arrested last month during an operation on Lordship Park which involved female police officers with audio recording equipment posing as prostitutes.
The tactic was implemented after a petition to the Mayor of London asked for dedicated police patrols and regular surveillance operations.
The petition also asked for more funding to allow police to place three cameras, costing £57,000, in the Lordship Park area.
A local campaigner, who wished to remain anonymous, said the area was the “one of the biggest red light districts in Hackney”.
She said that kerb-crawlers often hang around the bus stop used by local children on their way to and from school.
“If there are no prostitutes there they start chatting up the local girls,” she said.
At a Clissold Safer Neighbourhood Meeting last month, PC Ali Dag announced the initiative, saying similar operations had been successful in the past.
“[It] does have a massive effect, it can reduce the problem,” he said.
Some 250 prostitutes work in Hackney with the majority around the Lordship Park and Shacklewell areas, according to the Metropolitan police.
Clissold Park, Image: Hannah Lawrence
