RCMP recently arrested 15 prostitutes in downtown Maple Ridge.

No mention of whether any johns were picked up, though, which is odd, as other stings in the past few years have always netted a few men who were communicating for the purpose of prostitution, an illegal offense under section 213 of the criminal code.

The recent arrests signal a different direction for the RCMP, who a year and a half ago pledged a new approach to dealing with sex trade workers – based on a model adopted on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. They were going to befriend the local prostitutes, give them Gatorade and guide them towards help, away from the street, rather than push them around, treating them like criminals rather than the victims they by putting them in jail.

But since then, the local RCMP has a new leader; Dave Walsh is now the officer in charge, taking over for the late Jim Wakely, who lost a battle with cancer.

Supt. Walsh said the recent arrests were spurred by complaints from the community, that the “illegal activity” was so blatant that officers had to act. But they won’t reveal how they did so, how the arrests were conducted, or where they were made. Was it in the Red Zone, an area south of Lougheed Highway between 222 and 227 streets, where sex trade workers who have been arrested before are restricted from entering? Did RCMP officers pose as johns?

The sex trade has grown in downtown Maple Ridge from one that was largely underground to one that is highly visible; related arrests have doubled in recent years. Clearly, arresting prostitutes isn’t curbing the activity.

Yet, Supt. Walsh thinks that enforcement remains the best solution – so the women can be charged and ordered to seek counselling.

But studies show recidivism rates are high for prostitutes. Of the 15 sex trade workers arrested in Maple Ridge last week, how many had been arrested previously?

Police didn’t say.

It is unfortunate that such a problem exists on our downtown streets, that it affects innocent people and business owners.

But arresting sex trade workers only pushes them into hiding, making it more difficult to help them, and putting them at greater risk of harm.

Putting them in jail has never solved the problem.

– The News