An undercover officer acting as a john parked and exited an unmarked police car in a convenience store parking lot. Seconds later, three other officers swarmed the sex worker and snapped handcuffs on her.
Niagara Regional Police officers had made the first arrest in a john sweep in St. Operation Red Light was part of an intensified effort by the police to try and put a damper on the street-level sex trade that has bedevilled Gale Crescent and other streets in the area for years.
Story continues below Staff Sgt. The john sweep is one of their tools. They have also increased foot patrols and put considerable effort into busting drug houses. Prostitution is a magnet for crime, including guns, drugs and human trafficking. Used syringes and condoms often litter the area. And there is nothing glamorous about the sex trade in St. One of the women had visible track marks on her arms.
Her hair was a mess. She was sleeping something off under a tree at the roadside. They are victims, but the women β and the johns β are breaking the law, and we are the cops. This is what we do. Another report came across the radio.
A woman was standing in the middle of the road stopping cars. She was picked up quickly by the undercover officer. They are addicts. They want the money for drugs. Hopefully, one of these times the diversion program sticks, and they get off the streets. They are also victimized by the street. It is wrong. They need to see first hand what is happening down there. This is not Saturday night at the Sundowner.
