HONOLULU -- Downtown and Chinatown residents are calling for officials to expand a prostitution zone.

KITV asked Waikiki residents how it is working in their neighborhoods. Those who live in Waikiki said there are still plenty of prostitutes, but fewer than before the geographic restrictions went into place six years ago.

The residents said they believe it is an effective tool for police, but they said that pimps and prostitutes know how to get around the system.

"Well, if they would catch the johns and go after them -- they're the ones with the money. The prostitutes are there to make a living," one resident said.

"It's very organized and there just seems to be a never-ending supply of prostitutes on the streets of Waikiki," Waikiki Neighborhood Board Member Mike Peters said.

Downtown and Chinatown residents have been hoping for an expanded prostitution-free zone in their area. If passed, the legislation would ban convicted prostitutes from the area between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

While Waikiki residents said the geographic restriction is effective, it doesn't affect the traveling prostitutes and it has forced some prostitutes to work during the day.

Some in Waikiki said law enforcement should go after the demand side, the people who are using the prostitutes' services.

Critics of prostitution free zones said it pushes the activity into other neighborhoods or forces prostitutes off the streets and into places like massage parlors.