Police in crackdown on prostitution

Thirty-three women, of African origin, have been arrested in a combined local and National police operation in the early hours of yesterday morning. The women, all prostitutes, were arrested in the Plaza San Antonio (the city's red light district) and the nearby Avenidas. Some of the women tried to resist arrest and one was charged with assault. All the women were in Majorca illegally. Police acted after complaints from residents who said that prostitutes were straying from the Plaza San Antonio on to residential areas of the Avenidas. Residents said that this new wave of prostitution in their neighbourhood was making their lives impossible. The women are all expected to be deported for not having their papers in order. Prostitutes of African origin have been involved in turf wars with their Spanish counterparts. There have been numerous cases of violence. The African prostitutes arrived in Majorca about two years ago.