WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) – Police say prostitution has declined following the arrest of a city man for the murders of three women with histories of drug use and prostitution.

Detective Cmdr. Luke Gallant said recent stings and undercover operations suggest there is less prostitution,although the department has not yet compiled the relevant arrest statistics to determine the extent of the drop.

In a sting Wednesday evening, the police arrested just three men on charges of soliciting prostitutes.

“We arrested three, but there were at least 12 more out there who pulled up and talked to the woman but came short of actual solicitation before they got nervous, backed up and pulled away,” Gallant told The Providence Journal.

He said the department has not changed the way it tackles prostitution problems, and has not needed to.

“There’s no doubt the Jeffrey Mailhot investigation made johns aware that we’re out there,” he said. Mailhot was charged last month in connection with three women’s deaths.

Police say he killed the women in his home, dismembered their bodies, and disposed of them in commercial trash bins. In addition to three counts of murder, he faces assault charges for allegedly attacking two other women.

“That investigation brought prostitution into a greater light. There’s a much more heightened sense of alarm for people who are out there trolling for prostitutes in Woonsocket,” Gallant said.