I used to live in a small village – called Machen – that is not far from the city of Newport in Wales. Machen was a sleepy little place planted on the side of a mountain and Newport, while not sleepy was a respectable middle-class city. Things seem to have changed since then:

Supt Julian Knight says it is better to work closely with those in the sex industry to enable proper monitoring.

He told BBC Radio Wales’ Eye on Wales that the law on prostitution created a dilemma, but he had to be pragmatic.

He spoke amid claims sex trafficking from abroad could rise around the Ryder Cup, which begins on Friday.

Supt Knight told the programme: “You have to be pragmatic about this.

“It is illegal.

“Society has a very Victorian moral code around this, as a result of which we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place”.

Society has a very Victorian moral code around this, as a result of which we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place”

End Quote Supt Julian Knight Gwent Police

The law on prostution [sic] says that while it is not illegal to sell sex for financial gain, certain activities relating to it are. These include two or more people selling sex from the same premises.

However, rather than closing such premises down, Supt Knight believes it is more effective to work closely with those involved.

The Gwent Police policy in Newport, which has been in place since 2004, is to visit brothels on an ad hoc basis, and to develop relationships with the individuals involved.

I can’t help wondering whether police are “working closely” with those engaged in other criminal activity: making sure burglars don’t cut themselves on broken glass, for example. And we wouldn’t want Victorian moral codes getting in the way of the occasional mugger who, after all, is only trying to make a living.