"Easy targets for predators"

There's a long article on the BBC website explaining why so many prostitutes are murdered and why so few cases are cleared up.

Preventing crimes is even better than solving them, is my take. So, how about implementing two things:

1) Legalise 'drugs', suitably regulated and taxed, educate people as to their dangers (and to use them safely). The number of cannabis users in The Netherlands is much the same as anywhere else, despite decriminalisation. Heroin was available on prescription until the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; since then, the number of users has risen exponentially (see Figure 2.3, page 26). So if re-legalised, there'd be fewer addicts, and those that do become addicted would be able to buy them cheaply and safely and so would be less likely to turn to crime and prostitution.

2) Legalise brothels, suitably regulated and taxed, like in Nevada, Switzerland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and several Australian states, where society, AFAIAA, has not collapsed. So those who want to/have to work as prostitutes can at least do so in a much safer environment.

And if the police wasted less time on victimless crimes, they'd have more time for catching violent offenders, burglars and shoplifters. And if drugs were legal, there'd be no drug dealers, so there'd be none in jail, ditto prostitution/prostitutes/pimps - which would free up plenty of spaces for said violent offenders and burglars, who can stay in for life, AFAIAC.

That's that fixed.

* The Great Simpleton came to a similar conclusion, but from a completely different angle.

** Bansturbatrix extraordinaire Janice Turner hits the nail firmly on the thumb in today's Times. Under the headline 'Brothels are booming. Ban them', she writes that 'men who buy street sex are fuelling a life-leeching drug dependency'. Wrong! It's the illegality of drugs that fuels prostitution, cause and effect, y'know? Plus, brothels are by-and-large already illegal, so you can't actually ban them, can you? The whole article is worth a read for its toe-curling f***wittedness, actually.