GLASGOW men who pay for sex could be outlawed if a crackdown on prostitution in the city goes ahead.

GLASGOW men who pay for sex could be outlawed if a crackdown on prostitution in the city goes ahead.

Council chiefs and police are in talks with law enforcers in Sweden, where tough new laws on prostitution were introduced nine years ago.

Under Swedish law, paying for sex is punished by fines or up to six months in jail.

Glasgow council chiefs want to target men who pay sex workers who operate from city flats, saunas or brothels. Attempts will also be made to persuade prostitutes to quit the sex industry.

A ban on kerb crawling was introduced last year but deputy council leader Jim Coleman wants a zero-tolerance approach to men buying sex.

He said: "We applaud and plan to emulate the Swedish approach. For the best of reasons, many residents believe that if you regulate prostitution you make women safe. But as soon as you discover the violence and exploitation endured by women every day, it cannot possibly be condoned."

Ann Wilson, who heads the city's community safety services, said: "Sexual exploitation is completely unacceptable so we're doing what we can to tackle the demand.

"No country or city has managed to get rid of the problem but countries such as Sweden have begun to see an impact."

A Swedish delegation of police and government officials is due to visit Glasgow in a few months to resume talks following earlier discussions this year.

Glasgow has yet to indicate when it plans to lobby the Scottish Government for the powers needed for a crackdown on men who pay for sex.

Charity workers at the Scottish Prostitutes Education Project remain sceptical. A spokeswoman said: "Studies show that criminalisation and clampdowns on kerb crawlers merely cause sex workers to work longer hours in great isolation, leaving them more vunerable to attacks."