UPDATE 8.20pm

A ROW has broken out between Newport City Council and Gwent Police over who knew what about a possible prostitution zone in Pill.

At a council meeting tonight it emerged ward councillors Omar Ali and Ibrahim Hayat had discussed the idea with police - but had not told the leader of the council about the controversial scheme.

Police commissioner Ian Johnston claimed the suggestion had been thought up in collaboration with councillors, and that police press officers had shown the council their statement on the matter before they sent it out to journalists.

But council leader Bob Bright has claimed he did not know about the idea. 

Tory councillor David Fouweather said: “I’m surprised that the ward councillors knew about this important issue and didn’t talk to the leader of the council. The police sent a press statement to the council and the leader of the council wasn’t informed. I find the whole matter astonishing.”

During a question session at the beginning of the full council meeting, Ian Johnston defended himself against claims he had not worked with the council, saying he met ward councillors in April and June. 

Mr Johnston said the police communications team had been spoken to about how they dealt with the news, saying: “Gwent Police needs to learn some lessons from the last 48 hours in terms of people looking further than their noses. People shouldn't be surprised to find this on the front of a paper.”

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said: “Gwent Police’s press office notified Newport City Council’s press office that they had received a media enquiry. They sent the statement they would be issuing in response to the query for information. At no time was Newport City Council’s press office asked to approve or sign off the statement.”

At the time the Argus asked the question this evening she was not able to clarify whether the statement had been passed on to anyone else after the press office received it.

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AN idea to allow prostitutes to work in a particular area of Pill is “going nowhere’, Gwent police commissioner Ian Johnston said.

Speaking at a Newport City Council meeting tonight, he said: “I've had a serious discussion with the chief constable about whether we should knock this on the head. Frankly it's going nowhere.”

Councillors quizzed him after it came to light the force was considering designating a ‘non-residential’ area of Pill where prostitution would be tolerated.

Mr Johnston said: "I have serious doubts about whether this scheme will ever get off the ground.”

He claimed the media using words like "earmarked" and "proposed" for the Pill prostitution suggestion was misleading, as the idea was still in the early stages.

"This is not a proposal," he added. "It is work that is going on at the coalface with officers and councillors."

Sally Mlewa asked whether it was true that girls as young as 12 were working as prostitutes in Newport.

Mr Johnston did not confirm or deny the claim, saying: "I'm not saying it's not true.

"If it is true that's why councillors in Pill want to address it. We need to help the vulnerable.”

He said police had worked with Pill councillors Omar Ali and Ibrahim Hayat when talking about the scheme - and it became public after a resident went to the press following a neighbourhood meeting.

Cllr Paul Cockeram said the women selling sex in Pill had drug and abuse problems. "The pimps are there all the time," he said. "They need protection - not special areas.”

Ian Johnston agreed: "Most of these women only offer what they offer because they have addictions. Most of the women are vulnerable and have needs. That's why other agencies are involved.”

Cllr Paul Hannon pointed out that it was not only women who sold sex, but men as well.

Mr Johnston said he personally had concerns about the idea, saying: "Having a designated area for prostitution solves one problem of people walking past people's houses but creates others.”