Difficulties of policing- Prostitution

What difficulty did prostitution cause in Whitechapel?
Necessity in desperate situations or when their lives were effected by alcoholism.

It makes women vulnerable- all the Ripper's victims were prostitutes

Leads to violent crimes where the prostitute hurts the man

1888: 1200 prostitutes in Whitechapel

Not illegal but a serious social problem

Sometimes led to the crime Petty Theft being committed by prostitutes

What did the police do about the issue?  
Turned a blind eye to the legal abortions that were necessary as there were no forms of contraception available

However, their attempts to control prostitution were resented by woman. This was because their lives depended on prostitution for their survival and a way to avoid starvation