The police are also struggling with a growing trend, where adult males are taking girls from schools to the hotels located on the strip known as 'Back Road'.

"We have launched several operations against the prostitutes on 'Back Road' and these are continuing with a focus on the minors who are engaged in the trade," Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, head of the St Catherine South police, told The Gleaner yesterday.

"We have made some arrests but, when we hold these youngsters, the police cannot keep them and we sometimes have trouble finding places of safety to place them," said Nesbeth.

He said the police are working with the relevant state agencies to address the issue, while targeting nightclubs and other places on the 'Back Road' which attract the minors involved in prostitution.

"We are also targeting the hotels because in the past few weeks we have found big men going into them during the day with girls in their school uniforms. But, those we have held so far, the girls were all older than 16," the senior cop added.

Contacting parents

He said in the instances where the children are older than 16, the police have been making contact with their parents and the schools in an effort to address the problem.

While Nesbeth was not able to provide details on the number of minors held by the police in recent weeks, he said the latest sweep of the area some two weeks ago resulted in several arrests but none of those held were children.

He said the police are to meet with the business operators shortly to express their concerns about prostitution in general and the growing involvement of minors in particular.

According to Nesbeth, some business operators are working with the police and reporting cases where minors are seen engaged in illicit activities.

The police can also count on the support of Portmore Mayor Keith Hinds, who is on a drive to clean up 'Back Road'.

"I have already made it clear that we will not be easing up on the prostitutes and, worse, the children engaged in the act," Hinds said, as he reacted to yesterday's Gleaner report that a 15-year-old reported missing under the Ananda Alert was seen soliciting customers on 'Back Road'.

In the meantime, the Child Development Agency has advised the police to make contact with its placement officer if there is an issue of room in places of safety for children.