A Christchurch man has pleaded with the city council to stop prostitutes working in residential areas. Residents have had to clean up faeces, used condoms, needles and used wet wipes posted in their letterboxes. Their children have been woken up by prostitutes yelling and singing to each other and arguing with clients over prices. Matt Bonis has had enough. We used to call the police and they were good, but now they don't bother sending anybody," he told the council at its meeting on Thursday.
Women were soliciting business all hours of the day, even in the morning, when children were being dropped off at a neighbouring pre-school, Bonis said. He said residents were not bagging prostitution, they just did not believe it was appropriate in a residential area. Some residents had also had their homes broken into and vehicles damaged. If anything, it worked to the prostitutes advantage in terms of safety. Bonis wanted the council to enforce its public places bylaw which restricted commercial activity in a residential area or make an amendment to the bylaw preventing prostitution in a residential area.
The bylaw is under review and goes out for public consultation next year. The report was expected to go to council within the coming months. Since , prostitutes migrated north of Bealey Ave, but observations by council staff indicated sex workers were gradually returning to their traditional locations on Manchester St, south of Bealey Ave, Beaumont said. Prostitutes continue to plague Christchurch residents. Tina Law , Apr 06 Footage from a camera positioned at the corner of Manchester and Purchas streets in May shows the prostitution activity residents have had to put up with for years.
