Garda crackdown on Galway Races prostitution

Plainclothes Gardaí will be targeting prostitution throughout Galway during the Races, with up to 80 hookers expected to be working here during the week.

At the moment, more than 60 professional ‘escorts’ in Salthill, Terryland and the city centre are openly advertising their services online, while up to 20 more will be arriving here in the coming days.

Gerardine Rowley of Ruhama – the organisation which provides help for women affected by prostitution – told the Galway City Tribune: “It’s far from harmless fun. The trade has become much more sinister, and many are working for traffickers and pimps, and experience intimidation and violence. The vast majority [of prostitutes] are controlled by criminals.”

‘Escorts’ advertise their services on a number of websites, with 30 minute rates ranging from €80 upwards and hourly rates from €160 upwards.

Gardaí have said that prostitution in Galway is monitored on an ongoing basis, but there will be a particular concentration during the Races on ‘street workers’ – mainly gangs of Roma gypsies – who also carry out pickpocketing.

“Surveillance will be stepped up for the Races, but it can be very difficult to secure a prosecution if complaints are not made,” a spokesperson said.

The gypsy gangs regularly target drunken men in the city centre by offering to perform sexual acts for €50. Instead, many customers have their wallets stolen and in nearly all cases, the victims do not make formal complaints to Gardaí.

 For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune