The number of street prostitutes has halved in Sweden

Legislation introduced in Sweden in 1999 criminalises those who buy sex, but not those providing it.

Since its introduction, it has helped to significantly reduce the number of street prostitutes in Sweden.

Deputy leader of Glasgow City Council James Coleman said similar legislation in Scotland would be much more effective than current measures.

Arrest rates have increased this year by 300% and 60% of women who were street prostitutes are no longer involved Gunilla Ekberg Swedish Government

The disclosure came as a Swedish delegation in Glasgow began a week of discussions on local and central government policies on prostitution.

The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive rejected a bid last year by Independent MSP Margo MacDonald to legislate for prostitution tolerance zones.

But the executive later pledged a fresh approach to the problem of prostitution and a report is expected later this year by a working group set up by ministers.

The Swedish delegation, led by Gunilla Ekberg, responsible for Swedish government policy on prostitution, is holding two meetings in Glasgow.

Tolerance zones

Prostitution offences in Sweden carry a maximum six-month jail term, and the minimum penalty is a fine of about �1,500.

Mrs Ekberg said the Swedish public viewed prostitution as a form of male violence against women, similar to rape and other sexual assaults.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland she said: "The laws have been working very well for the past four-and-a-half years.

"If we can control the men's buying then we know that the number of women in prostitution will decrease."

She said there was a need to educate the police and prosecutors on what prostitution entails.

We are interested in this approach which penalises the men who use women in prostitution and makes it socially unacceptable James Coleman Glasgow City Council

"We see that when we've done this arrest rates have increased this year by 300% and 60% of women who were street prostitutes are no longer involved."

Mr Coleman said he believed the Swedish method could be effective in Scotland.

He said: "The number of street prostitutes has halved and the number of customers has been reduced by almost 80%.

"During the first two years of the new legislation, over 100 men were convicted.

"Glasgow is very interested in finding out more about this policy, which seems very much more effective at tackling this issue than so-called tolerance zones.

"We are interested in this approach which penalises the men who use women in prostitution and makes it socially unacceptable."

But Ruth Morgan Thomas of the Scottish Prostitutes Education Project insisted the issue at the core of the problem was drug addiction.

"For those people who find themselves in prostitution as a result of dependency, the issue is their dependency not their prostitution," she said.